o\c)OJ7 


iMu/try 


FRED  LOCKLEY 

RARE  WESTERN  BOOKS 

4227  S.  E.  Stark  St. 
PORTLAND.  ORE. 


83K3 


JAPAN  IN  ART  AND  INDUSTRY 


WITH   A   GLANCE   AT  JAPANESE 
MANNERS  AND   CUSTOMS 


BY 

FELIX   REGAMEY 
\> 

AUTHORIZED   TRANSLATION    BY 

M.  FRENCH-SHELDON  AND  ELI  LEMON  SHELDON 


WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  DESIGNS 
BY  THE  AUTHOR 


LONDON :  ^^^^         23'  B°UVERIE  ST. 

SAXON   &  CO.  FLEET  ST. 

PUBLISHERS 

1893 


DSS07 

1133 


COPYRIGHT,  1892 

BY 
G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall^  London 
BY  M.  FRENCH-SHELDON 


CONTENTS. 


JAPANESE  ART  WORK i 

AN  ARTIST'S  VIEW  OF  JAPAN 3 

DECORATION  OF  A  EUROPEAN  HOUSE 50 

NATURAL  PRODUCTS  AND    PROCESSES  OF   MANU- 
FACTURE    69 

STONE 71 

WOOD 75 

Carpenters 75 

Joiners 75 

Cabinet-Makers 75 

Coopers 75 

Makers  of  Wooden  Shoes,  etc 75 

METAL 88 

Metal-Forgers 88 

Armourers 88 

Goldsmiths 88 

Chasers,  etc 88 

CERAMICS 104 

The  Manufacture  of  Porcelain 114 

The  Manufacture  of  Faience 122 

List  of  Places  Giving  Names  to  Certain  Fictile 

Products . .  128 


948191 


iv  Contents. 


TEXTILE  FABRICS 130 

Silkworm  Raising : 130 

Cotton 138 

Reeling  and  Scouring  Silk 139 

Setting  up  the  Loom 140 

Dye 142 

Colouring  Plants 143 

LACQUER 147 

THE  GRAPHIC  ARTS 157 

Paper 157 

India  Ink 165 

Hair  Brushes 167 

Designing 170 

Engraving 170 

Printing  of  Cuts 170 

Decorated  Leathers 176 

FOOD  PRODUCTION  AND  PREPARATION 179 

VIANDS 184 

Rice ; 184 

Cereals  and  Vegetables 187 

Marine  Plants 191 

Fish 193 

Fruits 194 

Mushrooms 196 

Spices,  Condiments,  Oil,  and  Honey 197 

DRINKS 199 

Tea 199 

Sake" 208 

Tosso 210 

SMOKING 211 

Tobacco 211 

MIDORI  No  SATO  :   A  CORNER  OF  JAPAN  AT  THE 

GATES  OF  PARIS 215 


Contents. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS 233 

THE  JAPANESE  HOUSE 235 

EMPLOYMENTS  OF  THE  DAY 240 

BIRTH 243 

MARRIAGE 245 

ADOPTION 247 

FUNERALS 250 

FETES  AND  REJOICINGS 252 

THEATRICAL  REPRESENTATIONS 259 

RELIGION 268 

A  PAGE  OF  HISTORY 280 

MISCELLANEOUS  NOTES 299 

SHORT  VOCABULARY : 313 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  JAPAN 325 

INDEX 341 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FRONTISPIECE 

READER  (HEADPIECE) 3 

POETESS  AND  MAGICIAN 13 

CHILDREN 14 

SPECIMENS  OF  WRITING — Kirakana,  Katakana 15 

THE  CHILD'S  PRAYER 16 

SQUIRREL  AND  BIRD  DRAWN  WITH  A  HAIR  BRUSH 25 

DRAWING  BY  A  LITTLE  SEED-WOMAN  (FAC-SIMILE) 26 

SKETCH  BY  A  LITTLE  SERVANT  AT  A  VILLAGE  INN  (FAC-SIMILE)  27 

O  HANA,  THE  YOUNG  ARTIST  OF  ENOSHIMA 28 

THE  AUTHOR,  BY  KEJIRO 30 

GROTESQUE  SHADOWS 31 

KIOSAI 45 

Kakemono  (TAILPIECE) 49 

CHRYSANTHEMUM  AND  PAULOWNIA — IMPERIAL  ARMS  (HEAD- 
PIECE)    5o 

THE    LIBRARY  ;   IPPIO,    THE    Cheret   OF    JAPAN  ;   LANTERN  ; 

THEATRICAL   ROBE 55 

TIGRESS  AND  HER  YOUNG  ONE — BAS-RELIEF  IN  WHITE  MAR- 
BLE (HEADPIECE) 71 

MASONS 73 

BUDDHIST  LION  (TAILPIECE) 74 

FRIEZE  IN  WOOD  AND  BAMBOO  (HEADPIECE) 75 

A  WOOD-CARVER 81 

WORKERS  IN  WOOD 82 

A  JOINER 83 

MAKING  WOODEN  SHOES 84 

vii 


viii  Illustrations. 


PAGE 

METHOD  FOR  CARRYING  BEAMS 85 

SAWYER  (TAILPIECE) 87 

IRON  TOOLS  (HEADPIECE) 88 

METAL  FORGERS 91 

SABRE-GUARDS,  ANTIQUE  HELMET,  STIRRUPS 93 

ARMOURER  SHARPENING  A  SABRE  (TAILPIECE) 103 

PORCELAIN  STORES  (HEADPIECE) 104 

POTTERS 123 

SOME  CELEBRATED  MARKS 128 

RAT  IN  BOWL  (HEADPIECE) 130 

CUTTING;  REELING;  PERFUMING;  IRONING  SILK  STUFFS 137 

GRINDING  DRUGS 145 

DRAWING  ON  CLOTH  (TAILPIECE) 146 

GEOMETRICAL  CRANE  (HEADPIECE) 147 

STRAINING  LACQUER 151 

BOTTOM  OF  A  LACQUER  PLATE  (TAILPIECE) 156 

PLAYTHING  IN  PAPER:  RABBIT,  FISH  (HEADPIECE) 157 

Kozo  (BROUSSONETIA  PAPYRIFERA),  Mitzu  mata  (EDGEWORTHIA 

PAPYRIFERA),  Tororo  (HIBISCUS),  Gampi  (WICKSTROEMIA).  159 

PUPIL  MAKING  INDIAN  INK 166 

VILLAGE  MAYOR  SIGNING  A  PASSPORT 168 

POSITIONS  OF  THE  HAND  FOR  WRITING 169 

WOOD  ENGRAVERS 171 

MATERIALS  FOR  TAKING  IMPRESSIONS  OF  WOOD  CUTS 173 

FANS  (TAILPIECE) 177 

INDIGENOUS  RICE,  FIGURED  AS  A  WRESTLER  TRIUMPHING 

OVER  IMPORTED  RICE  (HEADPIECE) 181 

TEA  AND  CAKES  ;  PEASANT-WOMAN  COOKING  ;  Makoura  ; 

Hibashi ;  CANDLESTICK;  RICE-BOWL  ;  SAKE-BOTTLE 183 

RICE  GRINDERS  185 

UTENSILS  EMPLOYED  FOR  THE  TEA  CEREMONY '. .  202,  203 

PIPES  IN  METAL  ;  A  TOBACCO  POUCH  AND  CASE 213 

COCK  AND  HEN  (TAILPIECE) 214 

FRIEZE  IN  PERFORATED  WOOD  (HEADPIECE) 215 

RED  LACQUERED  WOODEN  BRIDGE 218 

STONE  VASE  AND  LANTERN  AT  THE  WATER'S  EDGE 219 

"  X  "  BRIDGE 220 

STONE  LANTERN 221 

DETAILS  IN  THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF  AN  INTERIOR  GATE 222 


Illustrations.  ix 


PAGE 

INTERIOR  DOOR 223 

WASH-HAND  BASIN 226 

"  THE  HILL  OF  FRESH  VERDURE  " 229 

PRINCIPAL  ENTRANCE 231 

PEASANT  UNDER  RAIN  (HEADPIECE) 235 

BACK  OF  THE  HOUSE 237 

LANTERN  ;  CORNER  OF  A  GARDEN 238 

LESSON  IN  WRITING 242 

EMBLEMS   OF  LONGEVITY 246 

MAKING   TOYS 257 

Tama-lori 260 

Sumo  (  WRESTLERS  ) 266 

SHINTOISTS  :     PREACHER,    DANSEUSE,    OFFICIATING    PRIEST, 

THE  MIRROR  DANCE 271 

BUDDHIST  PRIESTS 277 

SMALL  SETTING  IN  METAL  (TAILPIECE) 295 

BIRDS  ON  A  BRANCH  (HEADPIECE) 299 

OKAME 306 

HORSE  (TAILPIECE) 310 

ALPHABET 313 

FLIGHT  OF  CRANES  (TAILPIECE) 322 

MASK  AND  SISTRUM  (TAILPIECE) 339 


JAPANESE  ART  WORK. 


AN  ARTIST'S  VIEW  OF  JAPAN. 

"As  far  as  one  can  judge,  the  Japanese  surpass  in  virtue  and  in 
probity  all  nations  discovered  up  to  the  present.  They  are  of  a 
gentle  disposition,  averse  from  chicanery,  and  very  covetous  of 
honours,  which  they  value  above  everything.  Poverty  is  a  frequent 
condition  with  them,  but  by  no  means  discreditable,  however  much 
attended  with  hardships." — SAINT  FRANCIS  XAVIER. 

ARE  not  Japanese  and  Chinese  confounded  to- 
gether by  the  great  majority  of  people? 
This  is  a  regrettable  confusion  which  it  is  import- 
ant to  set  right :  for  if  it  is  true  that  the  civilisation 
of  one  of  them  was  the  cradle  of  that  of  the  other, 
yet,  in  fact,  the  physical  aspect  and  the  personal 
character  of  these  two  peoples  present  profound 
dissimilarities.  Without  pretending  to  set  forth  in 
full,  in  proof  of  this  assertion,  the  long  series  of 
facts  wThich  patient  and  minute  investigation  might 
accumulate,  I  will  here  simply  endeavour  to  cite  a 
few  of  the  most  obvious  and  the  most  indubitable. 

3 


Japanese  Art  Work. 


Throughout  hospitable  Japan,  art  meets  the  eye 
everywhere ;  it  scents  the  air  you  breathe.  The 
Japanese  are  proficient  in  the  science  at  once  of 
living  and  of  painting  life — their  life  be  it  under- 
stcfqd;  which  is  no  more  that  of  the  Chinese  than  it 
is  ours. 

China  is  a  centre  as  hostile  to  art  as  to  strangers. 
The  unsuspecting  traveller,  stopping  to  take  a  sketch 
of  a  fortress  on  the  German  frontier,  is  not  exposed 
to  more  unwelcome  treatment  than  if  caught  taking 
notes  in  the  streets  of  Canton.  I  speak  from  ex- 
perience. There  is  in  such  -case  no  invective  too 
coarse  for  them  to  discharge  at  you,  just  as,  almost 
down  to  our  own  times,  you  might  have  heard  our 
peasants  cry  out :  "  Throw  away  the  drawings  !  "  "  Off 
with  the  pack !  "  Offer  to  a  Chinaman  to  take  his 
portrait,  he  will  at  once  hide  himself,  and  all  in  vain 
is  every  temptation  to  induce  him  to  stand  ;  the 
most  miserable  among  them  is  proof  against  the 
most  brilliant  offers.  To  give  one's  likeness  to  a 
third  person  is,  according  to  their  narrow  supersti- 
tion, to  draw  down  on  one  all  imaginable  dangers. 

In  Japan — a  flower-garden  where  all  is  gaiety  and 
light  and  life,  where  everyone,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest  of  the  social  scale,  has  a  feeling  more  or  less 
developed  for  the  beautiful  in  nature — the  artist  has 
nothing  to  fear.  He  is  at  liberty  to  paint  to  his 
heart's  content,  without  awakening  the  least  suspi- 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan. 


cion.  And,  no  more  than  the  painter's  easel,  are  the 
photographer's  materials  an  object  of  terror,  such  as 
they  are  on  the  banks  of  the  Yellow  River. 

At  the  sight  of  a  passing  European,  on  whom  the 
ringer  is  pointed  with  disquieting  words,  the  Chinese 
child  shrieks  in  terror  as  though  it  were  some  demon 
going  to  snatch  him  away.  In  Japan,  the  same 
traveller  will  receive  a  very  different  reception,  and 
the  confiding  Japanese  baby  will  have  nothing  for 
him  but  smiles. 

Chinese  men,  and  especially  Chinese  women,  are 
covered  with  jewellery.  Japanese  women  do  not,  any 
more  than  Japanese  men,  wear  necklaces,  or  brace- 
lets, or  rings,  or  earrings,  or,  in  a  word,  any  jewellery 
whatever  "  touching  their  skin  " — a  peculiarity  per- 
haps unique  in  human  kind. 

China  presents  to  view  the  most  abject  and  revolt- 
ing assortment  to  be  found  in  the  world  of  famished, 
infirm,  and  deformed  people.  Not  to  mention  the 
lepers  found  grouped  around  the  towns,  how  many 
Cours  des  Miracles  might  be  recruited  from  among 
its  population  ! 

Nowhere  does  sepulchral  fetichism  exercise  a 
greater  empire  over  the  minds  of  the  people. 

As  everyone  has  the  right  to  inter  his  dead  as  he 
likes  and  according  to  his  means,  you  are  continu- 
ally running  across  some  funeral  monument.*  Here 

*  It  is  to  China  that  Japan  is  indebted  for  the  invasion  of  cholera. 


Japanese  Art  Work. 


start  up  the  decayed  remains  of  a  heavy  wooden 
coffin  on  a  level  with  the  ground.  There  you  meet 
the  fragments  of  animals  sculptured  in  stone — horses, 
tigers,  lions,  or  dromedaries  which  of  yore  guarded 
the  avenue  leading  to  the  tomb  of  an  illustrious 
personage  now  forgotten. 

In  Japan  it  is  all  the  other  way.  No  one  there 
seems  to  trouble  his  head  with  the  destinies  of  la 
bete,  and  the  people  are  so  constituted  as  to  take 
human  miseries  as  little  as  possible  to  heart. 

Thus  in  actual  life  the  blind  are  the  subjects  of 
consideration,  yet  the  Japanese  pictures — the  traffic 
in  which  is  much  brisker  and  more  extensive  than 
the  Chinese,  be  it  said  in  passing — often  make  merry 
at  their  expense. 

Contrariwise,  there  is  no  example  of  the  caustic 
wit  of  Japan  exercising  itself  in  the  caricature  of  the 
hunchbacked.  And  for  the  very  simple  reason  that, 
although  there  are  many  blind,  there  is  no  one  hump- 
backed. 

With  the  exception  of  blindness,  infirmities  are 
very  rare  in  Japan  ;  and,  but  for  the  Buddhist  priests 
going  about  collecting  alms,  one  would  say  that 
begging  does  not  exist. 

The  Chinese  dwelling,  constructed  of  brick,  is 
heavy  and  of  a  harsh  appearance,  always  hermeti- 
cally closed.  The  windows  are  swinging  leaves,  the 
doors  turn  upon  hinges,  the  floor  is  paved.  You 
find  in  the  kitchen  a  chimney  of  masonry  work. 


An  Artist's  View  cf  Japan. 


The  court  is  enclosed  by  walls.  The  Chinese  use 
actual  beds,  and,  as  we  do,  take  their  meals  seated 
upon  chairs. 

The  Japanese  house,  made  of  wood  and  of  paper, 
has  the  amusing  air  of  a  big  toy.  Partitions,  doors, 
and  windows  are  movable  and  slide  in  grooves. 
Open  to  all  comers,  the  habitation  is  as  hospitable 
as  the  inmates  are  affable.  In  the  way  of  furniture 
the  Japanse  have  only  boxes  and  ttageres.  Food  is 
served  on  trays.  Thick,  soft  mats  cover  the  floor. 
Squatted  thereon  they  sit  ;  stretched  thereon  they 
sleep,  enveloped  in  warm  covers  provided  with  sleeves. 

Japanese  costume  disdains  the  buttons  and  button- 
holes of  the  Chinese.  The  Japanese  wear  sandals, 
the  Chinese  shoes.  Japanese  do  not  wear  a  queue, 
do  not  play  cards,  do  not  smoke  opium.  Finally 
— a  still  more  characteristic  distinction — their  wo- 
men, who  do  not  cripple  their  feet,  are  free  to 
come  and  go  as  they  like  ;  the  need  of  guarding  the 
women  has  never  been  felt  in  Japan. 

Is  not  that  enough  to  explain  the  contempt  that 
these  two  neighbouring  peoples  have  for  one 

another? 

# 
*  •* 

And  yet  for  all  that,  we  shall  be  told  that  it  is 
from  China  and  Corea  that,  along  with  her  civilisa- 
tion, Japan  borrowed  her  principles  of  art  and  her 
processes  of  manufacture.  True  no  doubt,  especially 
as  regards  the  latter. 


Japanese  Art  Work. 


Yet,  whereas  the  initiators  became  fixed  in  the 
grooves  of  undeviating  uniformity  whence  all  mem- 
ory of  the  original  impulse  more  and  more  faded, 
the  initiated,  on  the  contrary,  turning  the  invention 
put  into  their  hands  to  admirable  account,  emanci- 
pated themselves  from  the  narrow  trammels  that 
hindered  its  development  and  rapidly  attained  to 
the  utmost  limits  of  elegance  and  originality. 

Thanks,  then,  to  her  incomparable  faculties  of 
observation,  her  infallible  sureness  of  taste,  her  ex- 
quisite feeling  of  nature,  at  once  so  ingenious  and 
ingenuous,  the  pupil,  pushing  the  science  she 
acquired  far  beyond  the  limits  of  her  master's 
lessons,  has  been  able  to  create  an  art  all  her 
own, — a  national  art. 

If,  moreover,  we  were  to  linger  on  such  questions 
of  origin,  should  we  not  have  to  call  to  mind  how 
Persian  influence,  travelling  by  way  of  China,  might 
very  well,  according  to  certain  authors,  have  affected 
Japanese  as  well  as  Indian  art? 

Contrary  to  the  disappointment  that  usually  fol- 
lows high  expectations  respecting  a  masterpiece  of 
art  or  of  nature,  I  found  on  arriving  at  Japan  only 
the  fulfilment  of  my  hopes.  I  exactly  recognised 
the  landscapes  and  the  people  the  first  albums  reach- 
ing France  had  brought  before  my  mind  in  1863. 

It   was   under  a   superb    sky   I    first    beheld    this 


A  n  Artist's  View  of  Japan. 


volcanic  archipelago  of  many  thousand  islands 
clothed  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  where  slender 
bamboos  and  gigantic  pines  imprint  quite  a  pecul- 
iar stamp  of  elegance  and  amplitude.  In  truth,  the 
pictures  had  told  me  no  lies.  Yes,  there  lay  dis- 
played before  me  all  they  had  told  me  of  the 
seasons  and  of  the  new  decoration  each  brought 
with  it,  as  in  some  fairy  tale :  the  spring,  innumera- 
ble cherry-trees  in  blossom,  powdering  with  pink  the 
undulating  hills  ;  summer,  sinuous  rivers,  all  pelted 
by  great  rain  storms  ;  autumn,  maple  trees  display- 
ing an  infinite  gamut  of  bright  colours  ;  winter,  pad- 
dings of  snow  and  embroideries  of  hoar-frost,  which 
the  Japanese  go  to  see  (just  as  we  at  home  go  to  see 
the  new  piece  of  a  favourite  author),  and  do  not  tire 
admiring  it. 

As  pertinent  thereto,  I  cannot  resist  quoting  two 
passages  of  a  charming  naivete",  as  seems  to  me.  It 
is  M.  Hayashi,  one  of  the  few  Japanese  that  have 
written  about  their  country  in  French,  that  relates 
them. 

A  servant  opening  the  door  of  the  house,  and  see- 
ing before  her  the  carpet  of  immaculate  whiteness 
which  the  night  had  spread  over  the  garden,  cries 
out :  "  Ah !  the  fresh  snow  ...  it  must  not  be 
soiled  .  .  .  where  shall  I  throw  these  tea  leaves  ?  " 

And  this  other — talking  to  her  mistress  :  "  I  pray 
you,  Madame,  do  not  send  me  to  the  market  this 


TO  Japanese  Art  Work. 

morning  ;  the  little  dog  has  flowered  the  court  with 
his  feet    ...    I  should  never  have  the  courage  to 

confound  with  my  sabots  these  designs  so  pretty." 

* 
%  * 

The  theory  of  the  influence  of  locality  finds  in 
Japan  its  perfect  confirmation,  and  there  was  the 
proper  soil  for  the  birth  of  that  charming  thought 
attributed  to  one  of  her  philosophers,  "  The  smile  is 
the  source  of  happiness  and  of  fortune."  If  that 
were  true,  the  Japanese  would  be  all  rich  and  happy. 
That  would  be  too  much  of  a  good  thing.  They 
are,  accordingly,  content  to  be  a  people  gay,  polite, 
and  of  never-failing  urbanity  ;  to  possess  in  a  very 
high  degree  filial  love,  patience,  order,  and  cleanli- 
ness. They  hold  that  illness  should  disguise  its 
deformity,  that  death,  ignored  by  the  living,  should 
make  as  small  a  figure  as  possible.  And,  desiring  to 
keep  funereal  affairs  from  intruding  too  much  into 
the  ordinary  current  of  life,  they  affect  an  air  of 
stoical  coquettishness  in  eluding  all  lugubrious 
matters.  Everyone  thinks  it  is  his  duty  to  keep 
his  troubles  to  himself  and  out  of  sight  of  others. 
Good  taste  suffices  to  impose  silence  on  pessimistic 
sentiment,  if  indeed  one  could  so  much  as  suspect 
its  existence  in  the  bosom  of  such  good-natured 
society. 


* 


There  was  a  time,  if  tradition   may  be  believed, 


An  Artist s  View  of  Japan.  1 1 

when  the  gods  were  regarded  as  grand  -  parents 
gentle  and  compassionate ;  when  princes  opened 
their  granaries  to  the  people  in  seasons  of  famine  ; 
when,  in  the  intervals  of  battle,  warriors,  in  pavilions 
constructed  over  the  water,  composed  sonnets  by 
moonlight.  . 

Nowadays  still,  at  but  a  little  distance  from  Kioto, 
may  be  seen  a  light  edifice  crowning  a  picturesque 
situation  and  commanding  a  wide  horizon.  There 
every  year  on  the  I5th  of  August,  the  poets  assem- 
ble, as  if  for  the  purpose  of  some  academic  tourna- 
ment, to  compose  verses  in  praise  of  the  reigning 
emperor. 

Of  this  official  literature  we  have  nothing  to 
say  ;  but  there  is  another  literature  more  familiar, 
connected  with  certain  popular  customs,  with  cer- 
tain games,  of  which  the  following  will  indicate  the 
character : 

Fragments  of  poetry  are  traced  on  small  lacquered 
saucers,  which  are  sent  gliding  over  the  water  and 
picked  up  again  when  they  reach  the  shore. 

Put  together  in  the  order  in  which  they  came  to 
land,  these  fragments  compose  thoughts,  and  make 
a  game  reminding  us  of  our  petits papier s. 

Cranes  are  trained  to  do  the  same  sort  of  service 
as  that  of  our  carrier  pigeons.  Merry  it  is  to  see 
them  set  off,  venting  their  loud  harsh  cries  and  no 
less  pleasant  it  is  to  see  them  arrive. 


1 2  Japanese  Art  Work. 

One  may  trust  them  with  a  very  full  correspond- 
ence. In  the  case  of  these  birds  there  is  not  much 
fear  of  any  "  excess  of  weight." 

On  the  occasion  of  the  fete  of  the  Marriage  of  the 
Stars,  verses  are  composed  and  hung  to  the  branches 
of  the  trees  in  blossom.  This  pretty  fancy  owes  its 
origin  to  the  adventures  of  two  lovers  who  were 
changed  into  stars. 

Lost  in  the  immensity  of  the  firmament  these 
stellar  lovers  are  for  eternity  separated  from  one 
another  by  the  milky  way.  Only  once  a  year  is  it 
allowed  them  to  draw  near  each  other  in  the  night. 
And  for  this  meeting  it  is,  moreover,  necessary  that 
the  sky  be  very  clear.  Else,  if  the  weather  be 
cloudy  and  stormy,  the  birds  whose  wings  have  to 
make  the  bridge  for  the  meeting  dare  not  leave 
their  nests,  and  the  little  fete  has  to  be  put  off  till 
the  following  year. 

It  is  to  spare  such  mishap  to  these  forlorn  lovers, 
that  the  Japanese,  the  women  especially,  beseech 
Heaven  with  their  supplications  in  verse,  which  they 
hang  to  the  trees. 

And  is  it  not  a  charming  idea  that  shoots  from  the 
wide  sleeve  of  this  favourite  poetess  a  flock  of  little 
papers,  which  become  birds  as  they  mount  upward 
to  the  sky  ? 


•x- 

-x- 


The    thought    that    will    rise    in    the    minds    of 


An  Artist '  s  View  of  Japan. 


all  mothers,  on  hearing  of  these  games  for  grown- 
up  people,    will  be    that   there   must   be  doubtless 
rs^     plenty  of  others  for  the  young  folks.     They 
are    not    amiss    in    this    reflection. 


ID 


In  this  ~v:N^  country,  where  no  animal  is  tied  up, 
where  very  XT  few  birds  are  caged,  it  is  exceed- 
ingly rare  K^  to  hear  a  child  cry ;  these  little 
creatures  are  ^7>  never  the  prey  of  those  fits  of 
passion  which 
take  posses- 
sion of  our 
children,  very 
often  without 
our  knowing  why. 

Japan  is  the  paradise 
for  babies,  and  so,  when 
they  come  into  the  world, 
it  is  always  in  a  good 
temper.  Later  on  in 
their  history,  it  is  equal- 
ly a  delight  to  them  to 
go  to  school,  where,  for 
the  rest,  they  are  par- 
ticularly well  behaved. 

They  did   not  all 
go  to  school  formerly. 

Before  the  revolution,  which  has  to  be  thanked  for 
the    gratuitous   and   obligatory    instruction    of    the 


Japanese  Art  Work. 


laity,  public  schools  for  the  children  of  the  people 
were  not  in  existence.  Yet  nearly  everybody  knew 
how  to  read  and  write  the  characters  representing  the 

ideas  and  objects 
of  common  usage. 
In  point  of  fact, 
about  three  thou- 
sand characters  are 
taught  in  the 
schools.  A  distin- 
guished man  must 
know  from  eight  to 
ten  thousand  of 
them,  and  if  one 
wants  to  pass  for  a 
veritable  savant  he 
must  master  some 
tens  of  thousands. 
Apart  from  a  pho- 
netic writing,  we 
have  the  Kirakana, 
invented,  it  is  said, 
by  the  famous  Bud- 
dhist priest  Koobd 
DaisJii,  and  a  later 
simplification  thereof,  which  takes  the  name  of 
Katakana.  These  two  alphabets  continue  never- 
theless to  be  used  simultaneously. 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan.  15 


KIRAKANA.  KATAKANA. 

V      (4      A-  -£  *       ^f      >     7 

-f^^f  -?       > '    ^ '    tf 

7     v;  ^)    ^  y(     ;>  >^ 

-&-  r  r.  ff  3"  3' 

Translation  :  "  The  number  of  the  population  of  Japan  amounts 
to  more  than  thirty-nine  millions  of  inhabitants." 

Nowhere  is  the  task  of  teaching  less  onerous  than 
in  Japan.  Teachers  are  held  in  high  esteem.  A 
pupil  betraying  during  the  lesson  the  slightest  symp- 
tom of  weariness  or  inattention  would  be  disgraced. 
To  such  strict  principles  of  education,  transmitted 
from  generation  to  generation,  the  Japanese  owe 
perhaps  their  peculiar  equanimity  of  character  and 
peculiar  courtesy  of  manner. 

The  Japanese  child,  however,  goes  not  only  to 
school,  but  to  the  temple,  where  the  prayers  he 
offers  look  much  like  poetry  in  action. 

An  old  woman  is  squatted  at  the  door  of  the 
sanctuary,  before  a  cage  imprisoning  some  birds 
just  captured.  The  child  gives  a  very  small  piece 
Q-  of  a  farthing),  in  return  for  which  he  has  the 
right  to  set  one  of  the  captives  free.  It  is  in  this 
way  he  sends  his  offering  up  to  Heaven's  gates. 

Hear  what  Lawrence  Oliphant  tells  us  about  their 


i6 


Japanese  Art  Work. 


education.  He  first  cites  the  following  passage  from 
an  author  of  the  sixteenth  century  :  "  The  Japanese 
chastise  their  children  purely  by  words,  and  reprove 
them  when  five  years  old  as  if  they  were  aged  men." 
Then  he  adds  :  "  To  our  knowledge  this  system 
has  been  in  operation  for  three  centuries,  and, 


according    to    universal    testimony,    with    the   best 
results." 

The  German  Kampfer,  the  French  Jesuit  priest 
Charlevoix,  and  the  Dutch  Titsing  agree  in  testify- 
ing that  the  affection,  obedience,  and  respect  of 
children  for  their  parents  know  no  bounds.  Parents 
choose  their  children  as  umpires  in  their  differences 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan.  1 7 

with  strangers,  and  submit  implicitly  to  their  deci- 
sions. Nor  is  it  uncommon  to  see  parents  dispose 
of  all  their  property  to  their  eldest  son,  when  he 
has  arrived  at  due  age,  and  to  trust  to  him  for  their 
maintenance  the  rest  of  their  life.  No  one,  it  is  said, 
has  ever  known  a  son  abuse  this  confidence. 

We  may  infer  from  these  traits  the  fruits  of  such 
an  education.  There  is  one  fruit  precious  among  all, 
I  mean  the  spirit  of  tolerance.  The  Japanese  are 
in  fact  distinguished  by  the  complete  want  of  fanati- 
cism, and  the  rules-  of  good  manners  impose  it  on 
them  as  a  duty,  not  indeed  to  honour  their  neigh- 
bours' gods  as  much  as  their  own,  but  at  least  to 
treat  them  politely. 

Hence  the  zeal  of  our  missionaries,  no  matter  to 
what  sect  they  belong,  has  hitherto  had,  and  still 
has,  to  contend  against  a  polite  indifference  more 
discouraging  than  would  be  persecution. 

In  the  seventeenth  century,  however,  under  Fran- 
£ois  Xavier,  Catholicism  succeeded  in  establishing 
itself  to  a  tolerably  serious  degree  in  Japan.  The 
experience  did  not  last  long.  And  if,  to  put  an  end 
to  it,  the  then  government  had  recourse  to  whole- 
sale massacre  of  the  new  converts,  the  reason 
is  that  it  saw  its  security  threatened  by  them. 
Religion  had  very  little  to  do  with  the  matter. 
Considerations  of  state  were  at  the  bottom  of  it. 
And  no  more  then  than  now  was  Japan,  which 


1 8  yapanese  Art  Work. 

counts  some  seventy  thousand  temples,  a  prey  to 
that  religious  fury  which  has  caused  so  much  suf- 
fering elsewhere. 

I  find  in  my  notes  the  record  of  a  fact  which 
passed  under  my  own  eyes  and  which  appears  to  me 
to  define  precisely  the  state  of  local  feeling  in  these 
matters. 

Some  poor  pilgrims  were  travelling  through  Yoko- 
hama. Meeting  on  their  way  a  Catholic  chapel,  they 
deem  it  proper  to  enter,  dip  their  fingers  in  the  holy 
water,  make  a  short  genuflexion,  and  retire,  not  with- 
out having  dropped  the  ordinary  offering  —  one 
pincette,  representing  infinitesimally  small  value — into 
the  confessional.  This  piece  of  furniture  recalled  to 
their  minds,  by  certain  marks,  the  large  grated  chest 
serving  by  way  of  poor-box  at  the  entrance  of  their 
own  temples. 

He  who  said  that  tolerance  was  the  last  word  of 
philosophy,  would  have  had  a  high  opinion  of  those 
peasants. 

•*  •* 

Certain  striking  analogies  between  Japan  and 
ancient  Greece  have  not  escaped  the  perspicacity 
of  studious  observers.*  Such  analogies  are  found, 
in  the  first  place,,  in  the  geographical  configura- 
tion of  the  two  countries  ;  and  next  in  the  traits 
of  heroism,  of  honour,  and  of  fidelity  to  duty, 

*  E.  Pottier's  Greece  and  Rome  (Gazette  Jes  Beaux  Arts,  398  liv.  ). 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan.  1 9 

common  to  both,  and  whereof  the  history  of  each 
is  full. 

It  is,  however,  a  matter  only  of  analogy,  not  of 
derivation  of  one  from  the  other.  The  Japanese 
have  drawn  on  their  own  resources ;  their  contempt 
for  money  is  all  their  own,  and  just  as  much  their 
own  is  the  purely  dilettante  use  they  make  of  their 
poetic  local  superstitions. 

Now — singular  anomaly  —  these  people,  though 
pagans,  .were  happy  and  honest ;  there  was  among 
them  an  element  operating  like  a  sort  of  propa- 
ganda in  favour  of  ideas  which  seemed  prejudicial 
to  ours.  In  short,  the  condition  of  affairs  there  was 
held  to  be  a  reproach,  which  it  was  time  to  put  an 
end  to. 

The  Americans  undertook  this  task  in  1853.  Un- 
der colour  of  a  treaty  of  commerce  and  comity,  and 
regardless  of  the  vain  protests  of  Japan,  they  bru- 
tally thrust  in  the  regenerative  wedge  of  modern 
ideas,  represented,  alas  !  by  bands  of  unscrupulous 
adventurers,  of  greedy  and  rapacious  merchants. 
Among  them  slipped  in  the  oblique  Chinaman,  who 
immediately  became  the  indispensable  intermediary 
between  Europeans  and  Japanese,  the  agent  or 
comprador  whom  no  foreign  commercial  house  could 
do  without. 

This  was  the  signal  for  a  political  revolution,  which 
terminated  in  1871  by  the  abolition  of  the  feudal 


2O  Japanese  Art  Work. 


system,  represented  by  the  Shogun,  to  the  advan- 
tage of  the  Mikado,  the  reigning  Emperor  Mutsu-Hito, 
who  will  be  called  in  history  the  Louis  XI.  of  Japan. 

This  result  could  not,  however,  be  attained  with- 
out forming  some  slight  alliance  with  the  stranger, 
who  made  his  profit  out  of  the  affair  by  establishing 
himself  firmly  in  the  country. 

Thereupon  ensued  a  frightful  inundation  of  im- 
ports, objects  of  the  most  ridiculous  description : 
heavy  cotton  umbrellas,  hats  of  grotesque  manu- 
facture, stinking  petroleum  lamps — stock  for  which 
it  must  be  admitted  naive  purchasers  are  still  to  be 
found. 

What  became  then  of  the  lovely  lanterns  and  pretty 
paper  umbrellas  so  cleverly  decorated  with  designs 
in  bright  harmonious  colours,  and  all  the  charming 
objects  too  numerous  to  mention  ? 

People  continued  to  make  use  of  them,  and  forced 
their  production  so  as  to  inundate  us  with  them. 
Workers  toiled  more  than  in  the  past,  the  public 
added  nothing  to  their  fortunes  by  it,  and  Japan  too 
was  very  nearly  come  to  that  lamentable  division  of 
labour  which  excludes  all  idea  of  serious  art. 

Yet  such  is  the  vigour  and  so  profound  the  senti- 
ment of  art  in  this  people,  that  the  objects  they 
export  to  us,  though  very  much  inferior  to  their 
former  productions,  always  remain  models  of  grace 
and  good  taste. 


An  Artist's  View  of  Japan.  21 

They  have  given  evidence  thereof  at  our  different 
exhibitions,  those  in  particular  of  1867  and  1878. 
As  for  me,  I  remember  especially  the  sensation  pro- 
duced by  the  Japanese  work  at  the  Philadelphia 
Exhibition  of  1876. 

Minds  of  delicate  sense  were  enthusiastic  over  the 
charm  of  the  refined  art  there  displayed,  and  heads 
exclusively  practical  were  moved  at  the  view  of  the 
profits  realised  by  the  Japanese  exhibitors,  who  in 
fact  sold  everything  they  had  brought,  down  to  the 
objects  serving  for  their  daily  use. 

Since  that  epoch,  Japanese  taste,  whose  influence 
had  already  overtaken  Europe,  has  taken  full  posses- 
sion of  the  United  States. 

It  may  now  be  traced  in  the  whole  domain  of 
decorative  art  :  furniture,  painted  papers,  dyes,  gold- 
smith's work,  without  mentioning  the  thousand 
little  objects  that  till  then  people  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Atlantic  had  not  dreamt  of  manufacturing.* 

It  cannot  be  too  often  repeated  that  the  marvel- 
lous products  of  Japan  are  all  invariably  based  on 
design.  The  artists  of  this  happy  country  have 
created  a  special  method  of  study  and  of  labour 
easily  explained,  but  not  easily  followed  by  anyone 
who  does  not  share  their  genius.  They  proceed 
from  long,  patient,  and  sure  analysis  to  synthesis, 
and  do  not  rest  satisfied  until  after  successive 


* L? cnseignement  du  dessin  aux  Etats-Unis  (Delagrave,  editeur). 


22  Japanese  Art  Work. 

and  carefully  reasoned  eliminations  they  have 
succeeded  in  finding  the  dominant  idea.  Accord- 
ingly, they  do  not  design  directly  after  nature, 
except  only  for  the  sake  of  preparation  and  of  fur- 
nishing their  memory.  When  thereafter  they  pass 
to  the  work  of  creating,  they  apply  their  knowledge 
without  hesitation  and  without  alterations.  At  this 
stage,  whether  they  design  or  paint,  they  no  more 
copy  that  which  they  execute  than  a  person,  when 
writing,  copies  the  letters  of  the  alphabet. 

But  do  not  speak  to  them  either  of  mouldings  or 
photography.  Never  would  they  consent  to  look  to 
them  for  their  first  instruction  ;  it  is  to  nature  herself, 
to  nature  only,  that  they  apply.  All  in  vain  was  it 
for  nature  to  have  aspects  so  fugitive,  and  move- 
ments so  elusive,  that  we  had  been  unable  to  seize 
them  till  instantaneous  photography  came  to  our 
aid;  the  Japanese — they  had  long  found  them  out — 
had  fixed  them  and  reproduced  them  for  us.  That 
which  in  their  pictures  we  censured  as  outre,  was  all 
simply  the  result  of  marvellous  ability  of  execution  in 
the  service  of  a  naive  power  of  observation  passion- 
ately clear-sighted,  and  aided  by  a  memory  specially 
exercised. 

Ingres,  a  master  in  design  and  an  enthusiastic 
admirer  of  Japanese  art,  was  wont  to  say  to  his 
pupils :  "  You  will  know  nothing  until  you  are  able 
to  sketch,  in  the  course  of  his  fall,  a  man  falling  from 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan.  23 

a  roof."  If  I  affirmed  that  this  precept  has  its  birth 
in  a  school  of  Yeddo  or  of  Miako,  with  what  charm- 
ing local  colour  would  we  not  find  it  impregnated  ? 

Hear,  again,  the  report  of  Viollet-le-Duc,  a  man  to 
whom  no  one  will  think  of  denying  superior  compe- 
tence : 

"  Evidently  the  Japanese  must  have  a  singular 
love  of  nature,  seeing  they  observe  her  with  so 
much  care,  and  reproduce  her  slightest  work  with  so 
much  precision.  To  them  nothing  is  indifferent,  and 
with  just  as  much  integrity  do  they  study  the  form 
and  behaviour  of  an  insect,  the  aspect  and  details  of  a 
vegetable,  as  the  physical  character  of  a  man.  Nor 
does  all  this  study  of  details  disqualify  them  from 
confining  their  attention  on  occasion  to  the  ensemble, 
and  rendering  with  a  few  touches  of  the  pencil  the 
character  of  a  landscape. 

"  The  artist  seizes  the  main  character  of  each  of  the 
aspects  he  wishes  to  reproduce,  and,  without  losing 
himself  in  the  details,  he  translates  the  dominant 
impression  with  a  feeling  of  extreme  delicacy.  Thus, 
like  nature  herself,  he  makes  poetry  without  knowing 
it.  Take  this  view,  for  example,  which,  with  the  aid 
of  a  few  strokes  and  three  colours,  represents  a  foam- 
crested  wave  borne  by  the  wind.  Away  beyond  this 
wave  are  marked  out  the  outline  of  trees  and  the 
summit  of  Fuji-Yama.  A  cloud  of  little  birds  winds 
across  a  grey  sky.  The  method  of  execution  is  the 


24  Japanese  Art  Work. 

simplest,  but  the  lines  are  so  happily  observed  and 
reproduced,  and  the  forms  of  this  wind-riven  foam 
are  so  admirably  interpreted,  as  the  result  evidently 
of  minute  observation,  that  this  sketch  produces  a 
profound  impression. 

"  We  hear  the  shock  of  the  billows,  the  crackle  of 
the  water-drops,  the  sough  of  the  wind.  In  a  word 
we  are  present  at  the  scene. 

"  The  artist  who  has  so  powerfully  rendered  all 
this,  fugitive  though  it  be,  must  have  himself  experi- 
enced the  impression  he  communicates,  must  have 
distinguished  in  the  midst  of  the  mobility  of  the 
elements  composing  his  subject,  the  main  character, 
the  accidental  union  of  the  lines  that  paints  it  for  us 
with  such  touching  reality.  This  artist  is  a  poet  in 
the  true  acceptation  of  the  word  ;  just  as  much  as  the 
Greek  rhapsodist,  who  in  two  or  three  verses  depicts 
to  us  the  silent  attitude  of  the  old  Trojans  before 
Helen  accidentally  passing  by,  though  in  her  absence 
they  overwhelm  her  with  bitter  aspersions,  is  a  poet. 

"  A  modern  author  would  probably  have  prepared 
the  mise  en  scene  of  this  episode,  by  reciting  to  us 
these  aspersions,  by  depicting  the  place,  the  dress, 
and  the  gait  of  Helen  as  she  appeared,  and  it  is 
highly  probable  that  in  two  thousand  five  hundred 
years  the  world  would  have  forgotten  the  trouble  he 
took.  A  few  pertinent  words,  on  the  other  hand,  of 
the  Greek  rhapsodist  have  sufficed  to  fix  this  scene 


An  Artist's  View  of  Japan.  25 

for  ever  in  the  memory  of  men,  as  the  liveliest 
expression  of  the  influence  of  beauty  on  human 
sentiment."  * 


The  study  of  simplicity  in  conception,  and  espe- 
cially in  execution,  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of 

Japanese  art. 
Hence  those 
sketches  of 
landscapes  and 
of  animals,  the 
represent  a  t  i  o  n 
of  which  is  ob- 

tained   by    a    single    uninterrupted 
stroke.     Now  this  skill  is  within  the 
ability  of   everyone    in    a   country 
where  all   his    life  long,   from   the 
tenderest    years    to    extreme 
old    age,    one    has    constantly 

Xthe  pencil  in  hand.     Practice 
/         is  moreover  so  much  the  more 
quickly  acquired  that  the  pen- 

cil is  used  not  only  for  designing  and  painting,  but 
also  for  writing.  Thus  without  hyperbole  it  may  be 
said  that  in  Japan  all  the  world  sketches.  This  is 
the  reason  why,  according  to  the  measure  of  these 
acquirements,  put  to  use  for  the  sake  either  of  his 

*  Comment  on  dement  dessinateur  (Hetzel,  editeur). 


} 


26 


Japanese  Art  Work. 


personal  tastes  or  his  needs,  everyone  on  occasion 
tasks  himself  to  do  art  work,  alike  without  preten- 
sion and  without  effort.  It  would  be  easy  to  multi- 
ply instances.  Here  are  a  few  : 

You  enter  a  seed  shop.     Your  choice  made,  the 
tiny  saleswoman,  squatting  in  a  corner  of  her  mas- 


ter's  shop,  takes  her  brushes,  and  on  the  paper  bag 
you  are  waiting  for  indicates  in  a  few  strokes  the 
picture  of  the  plant  of  the  seed  which  it  contains. 

In  some  other  place,  it  is  the  little  servant  of  an 
inn  who  occupies  her  gay  spirits  in  sketching  the 
profile  of  a  fine  lady,  under  the  eyes  of  the  tourist,who 
is  at  once  stupefied  and  charmed  to  find  in  an  out- 


An  Artist's  View  of  Japan. 


27 


of-the-way  village  so  much   gracefulness   and  clev- 
erness. 

Turn  your  eyes  next 
to  O  Hana,  the  young 
artiste  o  f  Euoshima. 
Her  work  is  skilful  and 
more  highly  complicate. 
Bits  of  stuffs,  of  paper, 
of  metal,  and  of  glass, 
broken  stones,  shells, 
waste  bits  of  mechanical 
and  natural  products : 
such  are  the  varied 
materials  she  turns  to 
account  in  her  work.  She 
gathers  them,  incrusts 
or  glues  them  on  a  small 
plate,  which  receives  in 
addition,  when  necessary, 
a  light  wash  of  India  ink 
or  some  lively  touch  of 
water  colour. 

The  objects 
obtained  by 
the  employ- 
ment of  such 
diverse  ele- 
ments 


are 


28  Japanese  Art  Work. 

generally  of  a  consummate  bad  taste.  Here  this  is 
not  the  case.  O  Hana  makes  sport  of  difficulties 
which  anywhere  else  than  in  Japan  would  seem 
insurmountable,  and  the  subjects  real  or  fantastic 
of  her  delicate  compositions  are  treated  with  an 
exquisite  art. 


With  this  kind  of  productions  may  be  connected 
the  miniature  figure-mvusmtfs,  insects,  and  birds, 
made  by  material  cut  out,  stuffed  with  wadding,  and 
its  edges  glued  on  cardboard.  The  specialists  of 
Kioto  have  created  a  school  among  our  merchants 
of  ready-made  dresses.  For  it  is  by  means  of  the 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan.  29 

very  same  processes  that  Parisian  advertisers  present 
those  stuffed  dummies  in  relief  on  the  flat  side  of 
cardboard  announcing  the  novelties  of  the  season. 

The  scene  represents  a  public  place,  upon  which 
appears  a  man  who  carefully  sweeps  a  part  of  the 
ground  ;  then  opening  bags  full  of  sand  of  various 
colours,  he  takes  handfuls  from  each  in  turn,  sprin- 
kling the  sand  upon  the  ground,  here,  there — at 
random,  it  would  seem.  And  soon  there  comes  to 
view  at  his  feet  some  beautiful  princess  in  chatoyant 
garments,  some  monster  in  glistening  and  multicol- 
oured scales,  or  some  ingenious  rebus  offering  to 
the  sagacity  of  the  arrested  passers  its  polychromatic 
figures. 

Amid  the  loungers  who  surround  it,  notice :  A  man 
of  the  lower  class,  very  scantily  dressed,  his  naked 
back  magnificently  tatooed  in  blue,  red,  and  black, 
representing  a  princess  in  grand  costume.  The 
practice  of  tatooing,  in  which  one  occasionally  recog- 
nised the  work  of  a  master  hand,  is  now  forbidden. 

See  Ameya,  the  cake  merchant.  He  is  a  model- 
ler in  things  gastronomic.  He  takes  a  little  paste  at 
the  end  of  a  blow-pipe,  then  puff,  puff.  .  .  .  And 
the  gazing  children  gathered  round  see  before  their 
wondering  eyes  rabbits,  foxes,  monkeys,  and  flowers 
created,  and  all  so  appetising  as  to  make  one  lick  his 
fingers  after  them. 


Japanese  Art  Work. 


I  should  have  kept  Ameya  to  the  end,  were  it  not 
that  I  have  to  present  to  you  a  culinary  artist  more 
perfect  still.  He  was  my  servant  during  an  excur- 
sion of  a  few  days  into  the  interior.  He  answered 
to  the  fair  name  of  Kejiro.  There  was  no  getting 
wearied  with  him  of  an  evening,  the  jolly  good-fel- 
low he  was,  for  he  had  a 
thousand  tricks  at  command 
wherewith  to  make  himself 
agreeable  in  society.  Singer, 
dancer,  virtuoso  in  all  sorts  of 
instruments,  story-teller,  he 
excelled  in  all.  Not  to  be 
beaten  at  the  game  of  Go, 
which  recalls  somewhat  our 
game  of  "  Queen,"  at  the  game 
of  the  "  Fox,"  of  the  "  Hunter," 
and  of  the  "  Steel," — a  sort  of 
"  Mora  " — and  twenty  others, 
nothing  was  amiss  to  him.  Did 
he  want  to  draw  your  portrait 
in  Indian  ink?  He  twisted  the 
characters  serving  to  write  your  name  so  as  to  make 
them  represent  a  body  to  which  he  nimbly  attached 
the  profile  he  wanted. 

The  tcnogut,  a  narrow  strip  of  blue  or  white  cotton 
stuff,  embellished  with  designs  likewise  blue  or  white, 
which  no  Japanese  can  do  without,  was  transformed 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan.  3 1 

under  the  fingers  of  Kejiro  into  an  endless  assort- 
ment of  headdresses,  each  more  whimsical  than  the 
other. 

Joining  to  the  tdnogm,  some  very  simple  accesso- 
ries, such  as  household  utensils,  pipe,  fan,  etc.,  and 
by  placing  his  body  in  peculiar  positions  between  a 
lamp  and  the  transparent  surface  cf  a  panel  of  white 
paper,  he  obtained  the  most  extraordinary  silhouettes 
— now  a  fish,  now  a  shrub,  now  a  perched  bird. 


He  had  a  genius  for  costumes. 

As  for  his  gastronomic  science,  it  was  of  universal 
scope.  The  European  cuisine  can  hardly  have  kept 
any  secrets  for  him.  His  triumph  was  to  serve 
square  omelettes  on  round  plates. 

Be  it  here  called  to  mind  that  the  Japanese  mas- 
ters have  written  long  treatises,  minutely  illustrated, 


3  2  Japanese  Art  Work. 

on  The  A  rt  of  Making  Bouquets,  treatises  which  are 
genuine  masterpieces.  This  study  constitutes  one 
of  the  essential  branches  of  the  education  of  young 
girls. 

In  everything  leaving  the  hands  of  a  Japanese 
artisan,  from  the  richest  furniture  to  the  most  com- 
monplace household  article,  we  admire  the  unex- 
ceptional perfect  appropriateness  of  the  material 
employed  for  the  purpose  intended.  And  it  is 
perhaps  among  the  cabinet-makers  and  basket-mak- 
ers that  the  inexhaustible  fancy  and  overflowing 
originality  of  the  race  is  most  attested.  The  former 
have  produced  those  lacquered  cabinets  inlaid  with 
precious  stones  and  metals,  the  drawers  of  which  act 
with  marvellous  fitness.  To  the  latter  we  owe  those 
fragile  mosaics  in  straw,  dyed  with  bright  colours, 
serving  for  the  decoration  of  wooden  panels  ;  as  also 
those  woven  coverings  of  bamboo  lamel,  adhering 
as  by  miracle  to  the  glossy  bulging  surface  of  tiny 
porcelain  cups,  the  cost  price  whereof  is  so  modest 
that  they  can  be  sold  even  in  our  shops  for  a 
few  halfpence — and  yet  nothing  short  of  genius  for 
invention,  good  taste,  astonishing  dexterity,  and 
untiring  patience,  was  needed  for  the  creation  of 
this  humble  work  of  art. 

Is  it  nothing,  either,  to  have  found  those  floating 
blinds,  where  along  silken  or  hemp  threads  tiny 


An  Artist's  View  of  Japan.  33 

bamboo  cylinders  alternate  with  many-coloured 
glass  beads,  which  scintillate  so  agreeably  in  the 
sun,  rustle  so  gratefully  at  every  breath  of  wind, 
and  unite  to  form  moving  designs  on  the  clear 
yellow  background  of  the  bits  of  bamboo  ? 

All  these  things  make  up  a  feast  for  the  eyes,  a 
satisfaction  for  the  mind  (which  in  view  of  such 
objects  exercises  a  sort  of  unconscious  logic),  and  a 
gratification  for  the  sense  of  touch. 

Apropos  to  this  subject,  here  is  a  passage  from 
a  lecture  delivered  on  Japanese  art  in  1869  at  the 
Union  Centrale,  by  Ernest  Chesneau,  the  lamented 
art-critic  : 

"  They  have  pushed  the  dilettantism  of  art  beyond 
imaginable  bounds.  Not  only  have  they  provided 
for  the  sense  of  sight  the  rarest  pleasures  and  the 
most  exquisite  enjoyment  by  displaying  all  the  re- 
sources, all  the  illusions,  all  the  magic  of  colour,  but, 
advancing  a  step  farther,  they  have  invented  what  I 
shall  call  the  esthetics  of  touch. 

"  The  forms  of  objects  made  by  them  are  finely 
calculated  to  stimulate  and  gratify  every  delicacy  of 
the  sense  of  touch." 

The  Japanese  sculptor,  in  his  minute  works,  gives 
the  most  convincing  demonstration  of  the  truth  of 
this  ingenious  criticism. 


An  edict,  issued  at  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 

3 


34  Japanese  Art  Work. 

teenth  century,  ordered  the  inside  of  every  house  to 
be  adorned  with  the  sculptured  figure  of  one  of  the 
numerous  divinities  of  the  Buddhist  cult. 

This  was  the  golden  age  for  image  makers. 
Images  were  made  in  wood,  in  stone,  and  in  metal. 
Of  these  last  there  still  exist  some  specimens  of 
enormous  dimensions.  Among  them  the  famous 
Daiboutz  of  Kamakura. 

Ivory  was  used  for  the  tiny  statuettes  that  were 
kept  enclosed  in  those  curious  little  tabernacles  of 
lacquered  wood,  which,  opening  with  two  leaves, 
much  resemble  certain  triptychs  of  our  Middle  Ages. 

The  religious  idea  was  then  very  favourable  for 
the  development  of  sculpture  ;  yet  it  was  not  its 
only  source  of  inspiration. 

Sculptured  portraits,  whether  busts  or  statuettes, 
are  rare ;  yet  there  are  some  extant  in  lacquered 
wood,  which  do  not  yield  in  any  respect  to  the  finest 
specimens  of  the  commencement  of  the  P.enaissance. 
But  our  admiration  is  especially  exercised  in  con- 
templation of  the  incomparable  beauty  of  the  Netzke's 
— buttons  for  belts — generally  carved  in  ivory,  which 
have  borrowed  their  "  motives "  from  the  various 
kingdoms  of  nature.  For  originality,  for  intensity 
of  expression,  whether  graceful  or  comic,  for  mastery 
of  execution,  to  go  a  single  step  farther  is  impossible. 

Here  is  a  description  of  two  Netzkds  in  ivory,  due 
to  the  masterly  pen  of  M.  E.  de  Goncourt,  conveying 


An  Artist's  View  of  Japan.  35 


an  exact  impression  of  the  ideal  perfection  attained 
by  the  artist : 

"  The  ivory  carver  has  given  to  the  visage  the 
moral  expression  of  stupidity.  With  a  mere  sugges- 
tion of  enamel,  run  under  the  eyelashes,  he  has  given 
to  this  old  man,  I  know  not  how,  the  look  of  bleared 
old  age. 

"  There  is  no  need  to  say  that  it  is  a  specimen  of 
art,  which  —were  it  not  Japanese — the  French  public 
would  find  of  the  highest  order ;  and,  a  curious  cir- 
cumstance, the  drapery  with  its  little  rumpled  folds, 
is  not  without  a  likeness  to  the  Italian  alabaster 
draperies  of  the  fourteenth  century." 

And  further: 

"  A  monkey — this  is  a  masterpiece — furious  at 
having  vainly  tried  to  bite  a  shellfish,  shows  the 
petty  bestial  anger  of  his  face  in  the  half-opening  at 
the  side  of  his  mouth,  in  the  effacement  of  his 
wrinkled  nose,  in  the  opening  and  dilatation  of  his 
eyes,  in  which  the  pupil  is  sunk  to  only  an  imper- 
ceptible black  squinting  point.  It  is  not  possible  in 
a  head  of  two  centimetres  to  depict  spiteful  bestial 
resentment  in  a  manner  more  expressive,  more 
striking,  more  comical.  And  the  marvel  is  not  con- 
fined to  the  head  alone,  but  extends  to  the  body  and 
the  attachments  of  the  shoulders,  and  the  rotundities 
of  the  back,  and  the  friction  of  the  loins  under  the 
skin,  and  the  firm  root  of  the  tail.  The  marvel  is  to 


36  Japanese  Art  Work. 

see  all  the  elasticity  and  the  force  of  the  quadruman 
rendered  in  the  infinitely  little  in  that  broad  and  full 
manner,  with  which  Barrye  sets  his  deer  on  their 
haunches.  This  ivory  is  signed  :  Tada-Mount"  ' 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  conclude  from  the  pre- 
ceding matter  that  Japanese  genius  is  exercised  only 
on  the  infinitely  little.  Superb  monuments  in  exist- 
ence prove  the  contrary.  Unfortunately  the  names 
of  the  architects — much  less  favoured  in  this  respect 
than  painters — have  not  come  down  to  us. 

The  grand  portico  of  the  temple  of  Hongandzi, 
occupied  by  the  Buddhists  of  the  sect  Sin-Siou  at 
Kioto,  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  local 
architecture. 

Thanks  to  the  variety  and  richness  of  the  materials 
employed,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  an  ensemble 
more  sumptuous  and,  in  spite  of  the  most  wonderful 
blending  imaginable  of  wood,  stone,  metals,  enamels, 
and  painting,  one  more  harmonious. 

Stone  skilfully  squared  serves  as  basis  for  this  con- 
struction ;  gold  and  bronze  are  lavished  on  it.  Yet, 
in  this  profusion  of  ornaments,  there  is  none  that  is 
out  of  place.  There  is  nothing  useless  ;  not  the 
bronze  facings  of  the  granite  columns,  nor  the  golden 
studs  curiously  wrought,  nor  the  projecting  girders, 
nor  the  inextricable  network  of  consoles  supporting 


*  La  maison  d'un  artiste — (Charpentier,  editeur). 


An  Artist's  View  of  Japan.  3  7 

the   powerful    roof,    any    more   than    the   strangely 
worked  tiles  with  which  it  is  covered. 

Assuredly  an  enormous  quantity  of  wood  is  used 
in  the  making  of  this  kind  of  roof.  Yet  not  a  morsel 
of  it  could  be  spared  without  injury  to  the  general 
effect,  so  much  do  the  smallest  parts  of  this  thought- 
ful and  complicate  structure  evidently  contribute  to 
the  stability  and  the  handsome  disposition  of  the 
whole.  Assuredly,  it  is  not  in  presence  of  this 
colossal  and  well-poised  jewel  that  one  will  remember 
the  accusations  of  roguishness  and  grimace  which 
tourists,  either  superficial  or  prejudicial  observers, 
have  cast  at  Japanese  art. 

The  year  703  is  assigned  as  the  probable  date  of 
the  creation  of  an  Imperial  academy  of  painting, 
with  four  swashi  or  master-painters,  and  sixty  swabu 
or  inferior  artists.  A  century  later,  this  institution 
was  merged  in  the  Tukmni-rio,  or  Ministry  of  Archi- 
tecture, charged  with  the  decoration  of  the  Imperial 
palaces.  The  most  ancient  name  mentioned  in  the 
history  of  art  in  Japan  is  that  of  Ishiraga,  to  whom 
one  is  strongly  disposed  to  attribute  a  portrait  of 
Prince  Sho-toku,  dated  463  A.D.  After  him  the 
Japanese  cite  with  praise  Kudarano-Kawari,  Fugi- 
wara-no-Motosuno,  Fugiwara-no-Nobuzano,  S6jo-Ka- 
kuyu,  who,  though  not  belonging  to  the  Court,  were 
yet  pleased  to  seek  there  the  subjects  of  their  works. 


38  Japanese  Art  Work. 

In  the  first  half  of  the  fourteenth  century  appear 
Kao,  Miocho,  Josetsu,  Shiubun,  and  the  Buddhist 
priest  Sesshiu,  whose  light  hand  contrasts  with  the 
noble  and  somewhat  stiff  style  of  the  preceding  men 
who  belong  to  the  school  of  Tosa. 

Then  Masanobu  and  his  son  Monorobu,  Fumiyi- 
oshi,  and  Kano.  The  descendants  of  the  two  last 
still  exercise  the  profession  of  their  ancestors. 

In  the  sixteenth  century,  Iwsa  Matabei  is  cited. 
Akiyoytis  the  name  given  to  his  style,  popularised 
in  the  following  century  by  Hishigawa  Moronobu, 
Tori  Kiomitsu,  Okuda,  Masanobu,  and  others. 

Lastly,  Utagawa  creates  a  new  style,  taking  the 
name  of  Ukiyo. 

It  is  well  to  say  that  these  characterisations  of 
style  refer  rather  to  the  manner  of  execution,  the 
expression,  the  accentuation  given  by  the  pencil  to 
objects  represented  by  the  artists,  than  to  the  choice 
of  subjects. 

There  is  an  enormous  consumption  in  Japan  of 
pictures  and  illustrated  albums,  in  which  the  most 
famous  artists  have  not  disdained  to  lend  a  hand, 
dealing  with  every  possible  subject. 

A  work  containing  illustrations  gross  enough, 
dated  1604,  passes  for  the  first  specimen  of  the  kind. 
It  is  a  novel  having  as  its  title  Isimonogatori ;  the 
author  is  unknown  to  us. 

It  is  not  till  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  and 


An  Artist '  s  View  of  Japan.  39 


the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  that  the  Japanese 
production  of  pictures  began  to  be  worthy  of  our 
admiration.  It  attains  the  highest  perfection  at  the 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Among  the  artists  of  this  epoch  who  showed  the 
most  magnificent  coloured  plates,  are  cited  Tori-i- 
Kiyonaga  for  his  figures,  Hiroshigue  for  his  land- 
scapes, and  Kishi  Doko,  better  known  under  the 
name  of  Ganku. 

It  is,  however,  Hokusai,  who  seems  to  gather  up 
in  himself  all  the  qualities  of  his  predecessors.  His 
history  deserves  to  be  preserved. 

The  following  is  M.  Gonse's  relation : 

"  Hokusai  was  born,  1760,  in  the  Honjo,  a  peace- 
ful quarter  of  Yeddo,  full  of  gardens  and  flowers,  in 
the  east,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  Soumido. 

"  He  assumed  different  names  to  escape  importu- 
nate callers  who  began  to  infest  him  when  his  repu- 
tation became  distinguished,  and  he  shifted  his 
residence  every  month. 

"  The  name  Hokusai,  pronounced  Hoksai,  giving 
the  //  a  guttural  sound,  means  'genius  of  the 
North.' 

"  Hokusai  had  a  daughter  who  aided  him  with  her 
talent  in  his  labours,  and  married  one  of  her  father's 
pupils,  Rokousen,  who  had  become  his  adopted  son, 
and  who  could  have  been  no  other  than  Hokkei 
himself,  one  of  the  most  delicate  and  elegant  paint- 


4O  Japanese  Art  Work. 

ers  of  the  vulgar  school,  whose  life  is  enveloped  in 
mystery. 

"  Hokusai  died  I3th  April,  1849,  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years.  He  was  interred  in  the  Buddhist 
temple  of  Saikiodje  at  Yeddo. 

"  He  remained  poor  all  his  life.  His  indefatiga- 
ble production  did  not  enrich  him.  His  paintings 
sold  at  a  mediocre  price  ;  he  made  the  mistake  of 
attaching  himself  to  the  realistic  school  and  painting 
modern  life. 

"  'T  was  evidence  of  little  taste  to  hang  up  a 
kakemono  of  Hokusai  in  his  house.  His  sketches 
passed  into  the  hands  of  some  artists,  who  used 
them  as  models,  without  taking  any  care  of  their 
preservation.  His  paintings,  properly  so  called,  have 
always  been  scarce,  as  are  those  of  all  the  masters 
of  the  vulgar  school.  He  designed  and  painted 
especially  for  the  engraver,  on  thin  sheets  of  paper 
destined  to  be  glued  on  wood,  and  consequently  to 
be  destroyed  by  the  engraver's  tool. 

"  Nowadays  a  painting  of  Hokusai  is  a  distin- 
guished curiosity,  as  much  in  Europe  as  in  Japan. 
Hokusai  was  in  continuous  process  of  improvement ; 
his  powers  knew  no  decline. 

"  The  following  is  a  literal  translation  of  a  very 
curious  note  written  by  himself  : 

"  *  Since  ever  I  was  six  years  of  age,  I  have  been  pos- 
sessed with  a  mania  for  drawing  the  forms  of  objects. 


An  Artisfs  View  of  Japan.  4 1 


When  I  was  well  on  for  fifty,  I  had  published  an  infi- 
nite number  of  drawings,  but  I  am  dissatisfied  with  all 
I  produced  prior  to  the  age  of  seventy.  It  was  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  that  I  came  near  to  a  comprehen- 
sion of  the  true  form  and  nature  of  birds,  of  fishes,  of 
plants,  etc. 

u  *  Consequently,  at  the  age  of  eighty  I  shall  have 
made  much  progress  ;  at  ninety  years  I  shall  touch  the 
bottom  of  things  ;  at  one  hundred  years  I  shall  have  de- 
cidedly attained  a  state  superior,  indefinable ;  at  the 
age  of  one  hundred  and  ten  years,  be  it  a  point,  be  it  a 
line,  all  zuill  be  living.  I  ask  of  those  who  will  live  as 
long  as  I  do  to  see  if  I  keep  my  word. 

1  Written  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  by  me, 
formerly  Hokusai,  now  Gouakijo-Rodjin,  the  old  dotard 
of  draiving? 

"  Hokusai  was  one  of  the  virtuosi  of  the  brush. 
His  colour,  like  his  execution,  is  of  a  force,  a  splen- 
dour, a  resolution  incomparable.  .  .  . 

"  Hokusai,  when  designing  for  the  engraver,  will 
be  concise,  rapid,  inconsiderate,  often  brutal ;  when, 
absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  nature,  he  paints 
for  himself,  his  execution  becomes  that  of  a  fairy. 

"  It  seems  as  if  his  brush  grew  immaterial,  so  well 
does  it  follow  in  a  sort  of  voluptuous  delight  the 
amorous  movements  of  the  thought. 

"  Then  Hokusai  has  the  ingenuousness  of  a  tender 


42  Japanese  Art  Work. 

soul,  that  has  soared  above  the  noises  of  the  world. 
He  has  the  refinements  and  the  happy  thoughts  that 
come  only  to  imaginations  lost  in  colours,  in  light, 
and  in  truth. 

"  Nothing  in  nature  was  foreign  to  him  ;  with 
equal  skill  he  designed  temples,  palaces,  houses,  cos- 
tumes, landscapes,  flowers,  trees,  birds,  fishes,  insects, 
subjects  pleasant  or  grave,  real  or  imaginary,  scenes 
of  genre  or  of  style.  He  was  truly  universal.  That, 
however,  which  especially  attracted  Hokusai  was  the 
human  animal. 

"The  masterly  quality  that  justified  his  cognomen 
of  *  old  dotard  of  drawing,'  was  the  expression  of  life 
in  all  the  vigour  of  reality,  in  the  infinite  variety  of 
its  manifestations  ;  the  rendering  of  the  true  gesture, 
surprised,  divined  by  him  ;  the  comedy  of  attitude 
and  of  physiognomy.  Gesture  with  Hokusai  is 
marvellous  in  point  of  accent,  of  synthesis,  and  of 
personality.  '  Always  and  everywhere  life  ' :  such 
might  be  the  device  of  this  superlative  artist ;  always 
and  everywhere  an  intention  is  on  the  trait  summary 
and  expressive,  feeling  of  the  meaning  of  relief,  ad- 
mirable discernment  of  that  which  is  calculated  to 
move  and  charm,  a  verve  comic  and  inexhaustible, 
as  if  a  comic  spirit  had  taken  possession  of  him. 
It  is  under  such  points  of  view  that,  in  my 
eyes,  he  equals  the  ablest  among  us  ;  thence  it  is 
that  his  work  mounts  so  high  in  the  domain  of 


An  Artist '  s  View  of  Japan.  43 

Japanese    aesthetics,    and    lays   down    its    definitive 
formula." 


Among  the  moderns  another  painter,  Kiosai,  had 
Hokusai  as  his  master.  Kiosai  excelled  in  every- 
thing, but  more  particularly  as  a  great  caricaturist. 
The  boldness  of  his  satiric  drawings  caused  him  to 
have  often  a  crow  to  pluck  with  imperial  justice.  He 
died  recently,  having  hardly  passed  his  fiftieth  year. 
The  many  years  he  passed  in  prison  had  no  effect  on 
either  his  gay  spirits  or  his  caustic  verve. 

When  at  liberty  he  preferred  living  in  the  suburbs 
of  Tokio.  It  was  there,  after  no  end  of  inquiry,  I 
found  him  out,  and  I  retain  the  most  grateful  mem- 
ory of  this  brave  man,  of  his  small  family,  of  his  cat, 
of  his  little  house  hidden  among  flowers.  We  ex- 
changed a  thousand  courtesies  with  each  other.  I 
shared  my  colours  with  him  ;  he  gave  me  one  of  the 
masques  which,  on  the  wall  of  his  study,  made  the 
finest  grimace. 

I  got  his  consent  to  draw  his  portrait.  He  wanted 
in  turn  to  take  mine  ;  it  is  a  sketch  of  amazing  verve, 
which  I  preserve  as  a  treasure.  His  courtesy  and 
politeness,  which  anywhere  out  of  Japan  might  seem 
excessive,  appeared  to  me  by  no  means  to  justify 
the  name  he  gave  himself,  and  wherewith  he  some- 
times signed  his  drawings :  "  The  mad  and  tipsy 
monkey" 


44  Japanese  Art  Work. 

It  must,  however,  be  admitted  that  temperance 
was  not  Kiosa'i's  ruling  passion,  still  this  did  not 
hinder  him  from  signing  with  another  name  aus- 
tere pages  characterised  by  the  purest  religious 
sentiment.  I  have  before  me  a  series  of  compo- 
sitions from  his  brush  that  are  marvels  of  taste  and 
of  delicacy. 

They  are  printed  in  colours  and  of  small  dimen- 
sions. One  represents  a  serpent  that  has  just  seized 
a  sparrow.  It  is  done  with  a  mere  nothing,  and 
everything  tells :  the  veiled  eye,  the  half  opening 
beak,  the  body  pulled  together,  palpitating  under 
the  reptile's  tooth,  the  plucked  out  feathers  flying 
away  !  And  this  happens  in  the  midst  of  plants, 
among  pink  flowerets,  where  glide  tiny  green  spiders. 
You  cannot  tell  which  most  to  admire  :  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  execution  or  the  intense  emotion  sug- 
gested by  the  little  drama. 

The  second  scene  is  a  comedy :  a  sparrow  flurried 
and  stifled  with  surprise  at  the  sight  of  a  mole 
emerging  from  the  ground  under  its  feet ;  startled, 
the  wings  wide  apart,  it  makes  the  most  expressive 
and  comic  of  grimaces. 

The  name  gaku  is  given  to  stiff  paintings  placed 
in.  frames  of  lacquered  wood,  and  makimonos  to  such 
as  are  kept  rolled  up,  several  metres  long,  and  un- 
rolled only  when  wanted  to  be  admired  or  consulted. 


46  Japanese  Art  Work. 

Surimonos  are  pictures  extremely  well  taken  care 
of,  copied  in  colours  in  very  small  numbers,  with 
minute  precautions,  veritable  artists'  proofs,  which 
their  authors  keep  as  important  presents  or  dis- 
tribute among  their  friends  and  members  of  tea- 
societies.* 

Much  more  common  are  the  kakemonos.  Out- 
wardly they  cannot  be  better  compared  than  to  our 
geographical  maps  unrolled,  which  we  hang  up  on 
the  wall.  They  are  mounted  on  silk  and  painted  in 
water-colours,  generally  of  moderate  dimensions.  I 
know  one,  however,  of  immense  size  and  very  remark- 
able, in  the  possession  of  a  temple  in  the  environs  of 
Kioto.  It  is  twelve  metres  long,  and  represents  a 
subject  very  often  treated,  the  Death  of  the  Buddha 
Sakia-Muni.  According  to  usage,  the  holy  man  is 
seen  couched  under  the  trees  ;  his  mother  descends 
from  Heaven,  supported  by  legions  of  angels ;  he  is 
surrounded  by  his  disciples  and  by  all  the  animals  of 
creation,  both  disciples  and  animals  in  profound  dis- 
tress. In  the  corner  of  the  picture  you  remark  a  cat 
— not  without  surprise — for  this  animal  has  always 
been  systematically  excluded  from  this  scene.  No 
one  has  ever  been  able  to  give  me  the  reason  for  this 
traditional  exclusion,  but  the  following  is  the  ex- 
planation given  for  the  exception  in  this  case  :  The 


*  Meeting  of  amateurs,  attended  with  Tcha-no-yu  (tea  ceremony). 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan.  47 

artist  had  at  first  conformed  to  the  custom.  The 
work  done,  he  was  preparing  to  send  it  to  the 
Buddhists  who  had  ordered  it  of  him,  when  all  at 
once  his  cat,  of  whom  he  was  very  fond,  leaped  on 
his  shoulder  and  in  her  language  made  him  under- 
stand that  she  would  like  to  figure  in  the  picture. 
The  master  could  not  resist  this  entreaty,  and  in 
three  strokes  of  his  pencil  he  made  what  his  favourite 
asked  of  him. 

Let  us  cite  a  fact  reported  by  M.  Gonse : 

"  Two  kakemonos  of  the  painter  Isune"nobu,  the 
one  representing  a  white  peacock  spreading  his  tail, 
the  other  a  landscape,  were  hung  on  the  wall  along 
with  a  drawing  of  Diirer,  a  sketch  of  Rubens,  and  an 
admirable  study  of  Rembrandt.  One  was  struck 
with  the  way  in  which  the  Japanese  artist  maintained 
this  formidable  comparison.  In  spite  of  the  differ- 
ence of  styles  and  of  processes,  Isune"nobu  held  his 
own  with  Rembrandt." 

What  a  happy  triumph,  and  what  argument  in 
favour  of  Japanese  artists !  Ought  not  that  to 
put  to  shame  the  good  people  who,  in  the  con- 
temptuous appellation  of  "  Chinese  toys,"  con- 
found indistinguishably  all  objects  of  art  of  the 
extreme  East,  whether  coming  from  China  or  from 
Japan  ? 

It  is  such  people  that  do  not  scruple  to  say,  with 
an  accent  of  the  most  assured  conviction,  that  Japan- 


48  Japanese  Art  Work. 

ese  painters  are  ignorant  of  the  laws  of  perspective. 
Is  it  necessary  to  add  here  that  this  assertion,  how- 
ever much  accredited  in  drawing-rooms,  is  absolutely 
untrue  ? 

The  exhibition  of  the  Japanese  masters,  for 
whom  the  doors  of  the  ficole  des  Beaux-Arts 
have  recently  been  opened,  will  hardly  yet,  we 
fear,  have  succeeded  in  triumphing  over  ignorance 
and  prejudice.  This  display,  however  brilliant, 
will  have  come  home  to  the  minds  of  only  a 
select  circle  of  amateurs,  that  knew  already  what 
to  look  for,  while  the  general  public  that  have 
read  Pierre  Loti's  Japan  will,  nevertheless,  thanks 
to  this  brilliant  writer,  continue  to  take  the  pretty 
Japanese  lanterns  for  bladders,  and  these  of  the 
worst  taste. 

Outside  observation  is  liable  to  slips.  One  can 
judge  by  these  three  quotations :  "  This  country  so 
foreign  in  which  we  can  understand  nothing.  .  .  ." 
After  such  an  avowel  of  incompetence,  no  one  need 
wonder  at  such  radically  absurd  statements  as  this: 
"  As  I  more  and  more  understand  the  horror  of  the 
Japanese  entertained  by  all  Europeans  that  have  long 
lived  in  the  midst  of  Japan.  .  .  ."  And  again : 
"  Here,  as  everywhere,  persons  are  for  sale  just  as 
much  as  t kings. 

The  song  preferred  by  the  tender  Rarahu,  by  the 
incandescent  Fatou,  by  the  "  dear  little  Turkish 


An  Artists  View  of  Japan. 


49 


woman  of  Stamboul,"  should  it  not  have  found  in 
Mme.  Chrysanthemum  the  Japanese  woman  of  its 
dreams  ?  In  truth,  it  is  the  only  plausible  explana- 
tion of  the  phenomenon  of  a  delicate  artist  becoming 
all  at  once  the  calumniator  of  Japan. 


DECORATION  OF  A  EUROPEAN  HOUSE. 

"  T  HAVE  no  idea  of  Japanese  things  except  in  a 
1  glass  case  of  curiosities  or  in  a  museum,"  said 
young  Madame  d'Arbois,  in  a  large  company,  when 
the  talk  turned  to  the  subject  of  Japan.  "  No  one 
will  make  me  believe  that  these  bibelots,  more  or  less 
graceful,  more  or  less  bizarre,  can  serve  to  ornament 
our  apartments." 

"  I  will  try  and  undeceive  you,"  said  the  mistress 
of  the  house,  the  amiable  Countess  de  Mayrial.  "  On 
the  banks  of  the  river  Oise,  in  a  village  admirably 
situated  on  a  slope  and  commanding  the  fairest 
horizon  of  hills  and  pastures,  I  have  a  little  dove-cot 
diverting  enough,  where  from  time  to  time  I  go  to 
pass  a  fortnight.  If  you  agree  to  come  and  break- 
fast there  some  day  this  week,  we  will  discuss 
together  the  question  that  you  have  raised,  and 
perhaps  you  will  have  reason  to  change  your  mind." 
"  Very  well,  then,"  replied  Madame  d'Arbois.  "  I 
50 


Decoration  of  a  European  House,          5 1 

accept  your  invitation  for  Thursday,  if  that  is  con- 
venient to  you." 

Three  days  later  the  two  young  women  sat  under 
the  shade  of  an  immense  Japanese  umbrella  on  the 
terrace  of  the  Villa  Mayrial,  admiring  the  charming 
panorama  that  unrolled  itself  at  their  feet.  De- 
scending to  the  road  which  it  crosses,  the  garden  is 
interrupted  by  the  railroad,  and  extends  to  the 
river,  from  which  it  is  separated  only  by  a  long 
green  field  where  herds  of  cattle  graze.  The  land- 
scape is  extensive,  at  once  animated  and  calm, 
peaceful  and  richly  varied. 

Breakfast  was  announced.  After  the  first  satisfac- 
tion of  an  appetite,  sharpened  by  the  journey, 
Madame  d'Arbois's  glances  wandered  around  the 
dining-room,  which  was  sufficiently  bizarre  in  its 
ornamentation  to  attract  and  retain  her  attention. 

She  at  first  remarked  a  panel  depicting  birds  flit- 
ting across  flowers — a  subject  very  simple,  no  doubt, 
yet  treated  with  an  extreme  delicacy  of  tone,  and 
showing  great  dexterity  of  execution. 

Madame  de  Mayrial  smiled  :  "  You  see,"  said  she, 
"  that  it  is  not  so  bad  after  all,  and  that  the  kakemo- 
nos— this  is  the  name  given  to  these  Japanese  pic- 
tures— do  not  anyway  disfigure  our  walls." 

"  In  truth,"  replied  Madame  d'Arbois,  "  it  is  very 
odd,  very  unlooked-for ;  there  is  in  this  decoration  a 
simplicity  that  attracts  and  charms.  But  one  cannot 


52  Japanese  Art  Work. 

stop  long  on  one  subject,  there  are  so  many  things 
to  observe." 

"  Is  it  not  amusing  ?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly.  I  admire  this  lantern  which,  by 
its  airy  lightness,  seems  to  tremble  at  the  slightest 
breath.  What  labour  !  What  patience  !  " 

"  It  is  one  of  the  occupations  reserved  for  women," 
said  the  Countess.  "  It  is  they  in  large  part  that  do 
these  lanterns.  They  thread  the  yellow  and  red 
beads — work  that  is  paid  for  by  weight.  The  mount- 
ing is  done  atelier  fashion,  as  are  also  the  tassels, 
which  are  manufactured  from  silk  thrums." 

Above  the  fireplace  an  immense  black  fan  quite 
unexpectedly  took  the  place  of  the  traditional  mir- 
ror. Some  little  flower-holders  hanging  against  the 
wall,  as  also  dishes  of  the  most  diverse  forms,  sur- 
rounded the  principal  subject  in  a  capricious  disor- 
der, heightened  by  a  liberal  sprinkling  of  birds  and 
insects,  and  all  sorts  of  little  animals  cut  in  crape, 
thrown  hither  and  thither. 

Facing  the  fireplace,  a  light  dresser  with  balus- 
trades of  wood  perforated  with  holes  held  Imari, 
Kutani,  Kanga,  and  Fizen  plate,  that  served  both 
for  ornament  and  for  table  service.  Two  similar 
dressers  garnished  the  two  other  walls.  Each  of 
them  was  framed  in  kakemonos  of  a  peculiar  sort ; 
instead  of  being  in  cloth,  they  were  in  wood  as  thin 
as  paper,  and  of  a  light  straw-colour  tint. 


Decoration  of  a  European  House.          53 

The  interstices  were  filled  up  with  plate,  dishes, 
fans,  vases,  screens  of  various  colours,  picturesquely 
hanging  about  as  if  at  random. 

Exactly  lining  the  ceiling  was  seen  a  parasol  with- 
out the  frame,  displaying  an  immense  crown  of 
strange  flowers,  of  birds  with  wings  outspread,  of 
many-coloured  insects.  At  the  corners  lanterns  with 
chatoyant  colours  relieved  the  dark  background  of 
the  centre  of  the  parasol. 

Other  little  parasols  were  scattered  about  the  empty 
places,  and  insinuated  themselves  into  corners. 

Embroidered  panels  of  silk  were  stretched  on  the 
doors  ;  before  the  windows  fell  those  blinds  made  of 
little  bits  of  bamboo  threaded  together,  alternating 
with  coloured  beads  resembling  drops  of  light.  As 
for  the  furniture,  however,  it  was  found  necessary  to 
forego  absolute  appropriateness,  for  if  the  floor  was 
covered  with  matting,  as  in  the  tiny  houses  of  the 
Empire  of  the  Rising  Sun,  the  tables  and  chairs, 
that  are  unknown  in  that  land,  could  have  nothing 
Japanese  except  the  bamboo  of  which  they  were 
made.  Nevertheless  the  spectacle  constituted  an 
ensemble  very  exotic,  producing  an  effect  unexpected 
and  very  gay  to  the  eye. 

"  In  truth,  dear  Madame,  I  must  admit  that  this 
decoration  is  enchanting,"  exclaimed  the  visitor, 
"  but  that  is  due  to  your  personal  taste  ;  it  would, 
perhaps,  be  difficult  to  vary  this  arrangement,  which 


54  Japanese  Art  Work. 

is  perfectly  appropriate  to  a  dining-room  ;  but  you 
talked  of  the  possibility  of  having  the  whole  house 
decorated  in  the  same  manner?" 

"  By  and  bye  I  shall  continue  my  lecture,"  said 
Madame  de  Mayrial. 

On  the  table,  objects  succeeded  each  other  with  an 
infinite  variety  of  form,  of  bizarre  appropriations,  to 
Madame  d'Arbois's  great  amusement.  There  were 
pretty  little  low  bowls  with  wide  opening,  serving 
as  sauce-boats,  or  containing  hors-d'oeuvre,  which  in 
shape  no  way  recalled  our  European  faience.  There 
were  plates,  no  one  of  which  resembled  the  other 
and  lacking  the  usual  flat  rim,  so  that  they  looked 
like  pretty  porringers,  throwing  their  lively  shadows 
over  the  dazzling  white  linen. 

At  dessert,  still  more  new  fancies.  Among  others, 
powdered  sugar,  enclosed  in  one  of  those  bowls 
with  saucer-shaped  cover,  the  black  lacquer  of  which 
sets  off  so  well  the  snowy  whiteness  of  the  Japanese 
rice.  Coffee  was  served  on  the  terrace  in  fine  cups 
of  Rakdu  faience,  so  highly  prized  by  connoisseurs 
for  its  lightness,  and  the  peculiar  property  it  has  of 
retaining  the  heat. 

Afterwards  the  visitor  was  conducted  to  the  study. 
It  was  an  average-sized  room,  with  a  very  high 
ceiling,  higher  than  the  width  of  the  room.  Advan- 
tage was  taken  of  this  lack  of  proportion  to  construct 
an  original  library. 


THE    LIBRARY. 

IPPIO,  THE  STAGE  MANAGER  OF  JAPAN. 

55 


A  LANTERN. 

ACTOR'S  ROBE. 


56  Japanese  Art  Work. 

At  the  bottom,  at  a  height  of  six  or  seven  steps, 
was  raised  a  sort  of  gallery,  of  which  the  finely 
constructed  facade  was  divided  into  four  panels 
embellished  with  frames,  sliding  the  one  past  the 
other  in  grooves.  A  wooden  balustrade,  sparingly 
pierced  with  holes,  ran  the  length  of  the  floor.  Each 
of  the  alcoves  was  surmounted  by  a  little  panel  of 
light  wood  decorated  with  graceful  emblematic  com- 
positions traced  in  Indian  ink. 

This  sort  of  terrace  was  accessible  by  a  rustic 
staircase  with  a  plain  hand-rail.  There  were  no 
doors,  only  two  bands  of  printed  cotton — two  ttno- 
guis — floating  between  the  chambranles.  The  floor 
of  this  little  place  was  covered  with  matting. 
Madame  de  Mayrial  slid  aside  the  frames,  and  the 
lighted  room  showed  on  its  three  sides  shelves  filled 
with  books.  Trays  with  four  feet,  which  in  Japan 
are  used  as  tables,  were  covered,  some  with  tea 
utensils,  others  with  small  articles  composing  the 
table  furniture  of  a  Japanese  meal ;  in  the  corners 
were  vases  with  strange  bouquets  that  very  much 
surprised  Madame  d'Arbois,  for  she  had  never  before 
noticed  such  floral  compositions. 

Over  the  ceiling  were  stretched  embroidered 
stuffs  ;  from  the  centre  was  suspended  a  hexagonal 
lantern  enveloped  in  painted  silk  gauze. 

"  I  begin  to  be  converted,"  said  Madame  d'Arbois, 
as  she  cautiously  seated  herself  on  the  flat  edge  of 


Decoration  of  a  European  House.         5  7 

the  balcony ;  "  I  see  that  there  are  indeed  great 
resources  in  this  manner  of  decoration  ;  nevertheless 
you  will  pardon  my  observing  that  there  is  a  trifle 
lacking  in  some  of  the  things  our  grandmothers 
called  the  commodities  of  conversation — no  chairs, 
so  that  one  must  either  squat  or  lie  flat,  a  hardship 
for  people  accustomed  tofauteui/s." 

In  the  toilet  room,  a  superb  white  marble  wash- 
stand  showed  the  sacrifice  of  local  colour  to  European 
comfort ;  but  the  stand  was  partially  concealed  by  a 
half-open  screen,  and  the  walls  were  hidden  beneath 
such  confusion  of  screens,  fans,  and  kakemonos  of 
coloured  figures,  of  parasols  of  all  dimensions  and  of 
all  shapes,  that  one  was  at  a  loss  what  to  look  at. 
There  also  was  displayed  the  most  curious  collection 
of  flower-holders:  horns  of  bronze  or  oi  faience  imi- 
tating the  most  diverse  objects,  menacing  dragons, 
baskets  of  a  thousand  forms,  fish  with  sparkling 
scales.  From  all  these  shot  forth  picturesquely  ar- 
ranged flowers,  branches,  and  light  grasses. 

But  what  surprised  Madame  d'Arbois  the  most 
were  the  branches  of  dead  wood  thrown  hither  and 
thither,  seeming  to  complete  the  surrounding  pictures 
to  such  a  degree  as  to  suggest  the  idea  that  they  had 
served  as  models  for  their  execution. 

Madame  de  Mayrial  smiled  on  recognising  her 
friend's  surprise. 

"  Behold,"  said  she,  "  Japanism  applied  !     You  see 


58  Japanese  Art  Work. 

that  this  style  is  not  one  to  lead  to  great  expense, 
seeing  that  this  item  full  of  grace,  one  of  the  prettiest, 
perhaps,  of  this  decoration,  is  furnished  by  a  dead 
peach  tree  in  our  garden.  The  beautiful,  however, 
is  not  necessarily  costly :  witness  this  branch — the 
green  moss  that  covers  certain  parts,  the  little  red 
points  that  enamel  others,  are  they  not  exquisite? 
And  see  the  caprice  of  form  of  these  contorted 
boughs,  which  the  Japanese  have  turned  to  such 
good  account.  Look  there,  you  will  find  them  again 
in  the  pictures  on  these  screens." 

"  It  is  very  curious.  Bit  by  bit  I  yield  to  the 
persuasive,  seductive  influence,  and  am  ever  more 
astonished." 

Saying  these  words,  Madame  d'Arbois  paused 
before  the  mantelpiece. 

A  robe  was  spread,  partially  hiding  the  mirror ;  it 
was  yellow,  with  large  red  flowers,  trimmed  at  the 
bottom  with  a  thick  padding,  with  its  obi  (girdle)  of 
enormous  shells,  and  its  big  sleeves  used  by  the  Jap- 
anese instead  of  pockets.  There  was  a  peculiar 
grace  in  the  way  in  which  this  vestment  was  draped. 
The  decoration  of  the  panel  was  completed  by  fans 
and  screens,  throwing  a  chatoyant  radiancy  on  the 
glittering  material  of  the  robe. 

Madame  d'Arbois  had  pulled  from  her  pocket  a 
little  book,  and  was  taking  notes,  not  now  trusting 
her  memory. 


Decoration  of  a  European  House.         59 

A  door-curtain  concealed  the  recess  of  the  toilet 
room  reserved  for  the  bath.  Above  the  draperies  a 
frieze  of  perforated  woodwork,  of  exquisite  execu- 
tion, represented  fans  entangled  together. 

The  vestibule  was  a  new  source  of  astonishment 
and  gaiety,  to  such  a  degree  were  the  subjects  of 
decoration  varied  and  odd.  Theatre  placards  in 
bright  colours  first  caught  the  eye.  Here  was  seen 
a  great  warrior  tumbling  down  other  smaller  warriors 
with  halberd  blows ;  another  armed  with  a  sword 
made  heads  fly.  There  a  frightful  monster  drove 
before  him  a  disorderly  crowd  of  desperate  people, 
who  in  their  terror  precipitated  themselves  from  the 
top  of  a  rock.  Next  appeared  at  the  edge  of  a  som- 
bre forest,  the  enormous  head  of  the  Cat  of  the 
Mountain — one  of  those  imaginary  monsters  of 
Japan. 

In  contrast  with  these  violent  exhibitions  a  scene 
inside  displayed  all  the  Japanese  joviality:  the  rep- 
resentation of  a  social  game  which  had  for  its  object 
the  taking  of  something  placed  beyond  a  slip-knot. 
To  pass  the  hand  through,  to  seize  the  article,  and 
draw  back  the  hand  without  allowing  one's  playfel- 
lows, who  hold  the  end  of  the  cord,  time  enough  to 
tighten  the  knot,  is  not  a  very  easy  thing  to  do.  The 
picture  showed  the  player  caught  in  the  trap,  to- 
gether with  the  inextinguishable  laughter  and  the 
figures  of  merriment  on  the  part  of  the  spectators. 


60  Japanese  Art  Work. 


"  These  images,"  observed  Madame  de  Mayrial, 
"  recall  to  me  a  trait  of  honesty  rather  characteristic. 
When  I  was  leaving  Japan  I  was  desirous  to  get 
some  of  those  large  theatre  bills  the  character  of 
which  had  struck  me.  After  much  search  I  ended 
by  finding  out  the  address  of  Ippio,  the  ingenious 
artist,  their  author.  I  went  to  his  house  and  found 
him  at  home  surrounded  with  a  bevy  of  children, 
every  one  funnier  than  another.  He  was  teaching 
the  biggest  of  them  to  write,  whilst  the  little  ones 
rolled  on  the  mat  with  Nekko  San — Master  Cat — in 
the  most  amusing  attitudes.  I  made  known  to  him 
my  wish,  and  ordered  of  him  two  bills,  leaving  to 
him  the  choice  of  subjects,  only  specifying  that  the 
one  should  represent  a  scene  the  gayest  he  could  im- 
agine, and  the  other,  on  the  contrary,  a  scene  as 
terrible  as  possible. 

"  I  gave  him  the  sum  that  he  fixed  for  his  work  and 
left  him  my  Paris  address.  When,  after  long  pere- 
grinations through  China,  India,  and  Egypt,  I  re- 
turned, I  found  at  my  house  these  two  charming 
pictures,  which  had  preceded  me,  and  I  was  touched 
by  the  evidence  of  such  carefulness  and  loyalty  on 
the  part  of  the  man  who  knew  very  well  that  he 
should  never  again  see  me.  His  name,  Ippio,  de- 
serves to  be  remembered." 

The  walls  of  the  staircases  were   masked  in  the 


Decoration  of  a  European  House.         6 1 

lower  part  by  red  and  white  mats,  and  in  the  higher 
by  a  series  of  panels  representing  cranes  in  various 
attitudes — winging  their  flight  skywards,  perched  on 
the  border  of  a  brook  amidst  flowers,  or  dreaming 
poised  on  one  foot,  or  drawn  together  like  a  ball, 
close  by  a  surly  pine.  Everywhere  you  remarked 
that  diversity  of  invention  in  the  same  subject,  that 
finesse  of  tone  so  rare  and  so  distinguished,  that 
faultless  design  in  semblance  of  carelessness,  which 
is  peculiar  to  Japanese  painting. 

The  salon  astonished  the  visitor  less  ;  she  had  al- 
ready seen  those  large  vases,  those  lacquered  cabi- 
nets full  of  delicate  objects  in  ivory,  in  chiselled 
bronze,  or  in  fine  porcelain  ;  little  figures,  netzke's, 
sabre  guards,  etc.  However,  in  the  window  embra- 
sures, pretty  benches,  very  low,  in  fine  gold  lacquer, 
attracted  her  attention,  and  Madame  de  Mayrial  ex- 
plained to  her  how  graceful  are  the  little  mousmts 
when,  kneeling  on  the  thick  tatamis,  they  lean  their 
elbows,  lost  in  their  immense  sleeves,  on  those  little 
benches  looking  like  baby  furniture. 

The  sumptuous  silks  that  formed  the  framework 
of  the  windows,  and  which  you  found  mantling  the 
seats  and  the  piano,  gave  a  finishing  touch  to  the 
ensemble  and  fixed  its  character.  Yet  one  had  been 
obliged,  here  more  than  elsewhere,  to  make  some 
sacrifice  to  the  necessities  of  European  life.  Was  it 
in  fact  possible  to  dispense  with  tables,  easy-chairs, 


i 


62  Japanese  Art  Work. 

couches,  etc.,  with  all  that  furniture  totally  foreign 
to  Japan  ? 

Here  was  an  obstacle  insurmountable  for  common 
mortals.  One  might  have  borrowed  from  China  its 
heavy  round  tables,  its  square  seats,  and  ponderous 
marble  slabs  with  which,  in  like  case,  amateurs,  igno- 
rant and  little  fastidious,  put  up ;  or,  pushing  one's 
scruples  farther,  obtained  from  a  fashionable  manu- 
facturer frightfully  spurious  furniture,  where  imita- 
tion bamboo  would  be  matched  with  bells  of  gilded 
copper,  having  only  a  very  distant  relation  to  the 
Japanese  style. 

Beyond  these  two  solutions  none  other  had  hith- 
erto presented  itself. 

Madame  de  Mayrial  had  a  third  at  her  command. 
She  was  not  ignorant  that  the  Louis  XV.  style,  so 
elegant  and  so  smart,  so  French  in  one  word,  owes 
much  to  Japanese  art.  Not  that  it  had  servilely 
borrowed  anything  from  it,  nor  copied  it,  but  that 
its  imaginative  verve  was  spurred  by  Japanese  ex- 
ample to  shake  off  the  trammels  of  the  precise  rules 
of  the  preceding  style.  And  thus  it  is  that  at  the 
two  extremities  of  the  world  the  same  air  was  sung 
at  the  same  moment  by  artists,  keeping  each  the 
manner  absolutely  proper  to  his  individuality. 

There  is  perfect  accord  between  the  harmonious 
curves  of  that  engarlanded  console  and  the  contour 
of  that  antique  lacquered  seat  taken  from  a  Buddhist 


Decoration  of  a  European  House.         63 

temple,  unique  of  its  kind  ;  and  between  the 
capricious  decoration  of  the  big-bellied  harpsichord 
and  the  embroideries  of  the  obi  (broad  girdle  worn 
by  Japanese  women) ;  between  those  inlayings  on 
gilded  rockwork,  and  those  bronze  vases  wherein 
the  artist  has  skilfully  moulded  the  metal  to  the 
fancies  of  his  unrestrained  imagination. 

Madame  de  Pompadour,  the  voluptuous  artist, 
doated  on  Japanese  bibelots,  a  fact  explanatory  of 
many  things. 

If,  however,  the  furniture  was  less  Japanesque 
than  the  rest,  the  walls,  by  way  of  compensation, 
were  of  pronounced  Japanese  accent.  Each  panel, 
painted  in  water-colour,  in  cameo  on  a  simple  back- 
ground of  clear  silk,  depicted  a  scene  or  landscape. 
Here  a  dear  little  mousme  inquisitively  pulled  aside 
the  ttnoguis  closing  the  entrance  of  her  house,  and 
saluted  the  garden  with  her  naive,  laughing  look. 
There  a  stone  lantern,  surrounded  with  flowers  and 
bamboos,  was  reflected  in  the  waters  of  a  lake. 
Farther  distant,  the  Fust-  Yama  loomed  up  proudly, 
dominating  by  its  imposing  mass,  truncated  by 
clouds,  a  charming  landscape  nearer  hand,  where 
cherries  in  blossom  scattered  their  fresh  and  rosy  hue. 

"  And  who  is  the  artist  that  has  painted  all  this  ?  " 
exclaimed  Madame  d'Arbois. 

"  Your  humble  servant,  dear  Madame,"  answered 
Madame  de  Mayrial,  with  roguish  salute. 


64  Japanese  Art  Work. 


"  You,  Countess,  you  a  painter?  " 

"  Oh,  so  little.  I  learned  like  all  the  rest  of  us  at 
school  to  paint  fans  and  dishes  :  since  then  the 
Martin  varnish  has  had  no  more  secrets  for  me  ; 
next,  after  an  unhappy  trial  at  pastel  and  miniature, 
I  daubed  some  canvas  with  no  great  success,  until 
one  day  I  set  myself  to  decorate  this  house. 

"  Wishing  to  obtain  what  you  see  here,  I  asked  of 
an  artist,  who  knows  Japan  to  the  tip  of  his  fingers 
and  has  made  it  his  specialty,  to  be  good  enough  to 
execute  for  me  the  panels  of  this  salon.  Instead, 
however,  he  wished  me  to  do  the  work  myself.  He 
gave  me  directions,  furnished  me  with  documents 
and  sketches,  and,  thanks  to  him,  I  have  achieved 
this  result.  I  must  add  that  the  work  has  been  an 
infinite  pleasure  to  me." 

"  I  envy  you." 

"  You  are  as  much  of  an  artist  as  I,  and  it  is  at 
your  pleasure  to  achieve  as  much,  I  assure  you.  My 
professor  will  not  refuse  you  his,  help,  and  mine  is 
likewise  at  your  disposal." 

"  I  shall  keep  your  good  word  in  mind,"  replied 
Madame  d'Arbois. 

The  long  visit  drew  to  an  end.  Madame  de 
Mayrial  had  completely  succeeded  in  her  undertak- 
ing. She  had  revealed  to  her  friend  the  beauties  of 
Japan  and  Japanese  art.  She  wished  however  to  do 
more  and  make  her  admire  the  ways  and  the  in- 


Decoration  of  a  European  House.          65 

genious  activity  of  its  inhabitants.  The  task  was 
not  so  easy,  as  it  was  only  by  captivating  the  young 
wife's  curiosity  that  the  mission  could  be  attained. 

"  You  see,"  said  she,  "  that  with  these  elements 
you  have  material  for  the  richest  as  well  as  for  the 
simplest  of  decorations.  You  can  inform  an  entire 
house  with  the  gaiety  of  art  for  a  trifling  sum,  as  it 
is  in  your  power  to  spend  a  fortune  on  a  single 
room,  if,  instead  of  these  bibelots,  that  cost  nothing, 
but  are  always  in  good  taste,  you  employ  embroid- 
ered tissues,  if  you  want  faience  or  ancient  bronzes, 
if  you  choose  kakemonos  or  surimonos  signed  by 
celebrated  names.  Cheap  or  dear,  this  decoration 
will  always  be  original  and  never  vulgar." 

"  But,"  observed  Madame  d'Arbois,  "  to  get  such 
an  extraordinary  bargain,  the  long  voyage  of  the 
wares  being  taken  into  account,  the  workmen  and 
artists  of  Japan  must  make  very  little  profit." 

"  That  is  true  ;  but  in  that  happy  land  the  wants 
are  very  limited,  living  is  inexpensive,  and  above  all 
it  has  to  be  said,  however  improbable  to  us  it  seems, 
that  the  love  of  art,  born  of  the  perpetual  contem- 
plation of  nature,  which  penetrates  artists  and  arti- 
sans down  to  the  humblest,  is  such  that  the  joy  they 
experience  in  doing  things  of  beauty  enables  them 
to  look  with  indifference  at  the  mercantile  side  of 
existence." 

"  In   order  to   complete  my  education,"  resumed 

5 


66  Japanese  Art  Work. 

the  insatiable  neophyte,  "  I  should  have  to  visit  a 
true  Japanese  garden." 

"  I  see  that  the  passion  is  being  born  in  you. 
Unfortunately,  I  cannot  gratify  this  just  desire. 
This  ground  here  did  not  lend  itself  to  the  creation 
of  a  Japanese  garden.  But  one  of  my  friends  pos- 
sesses, not  far  from  Paris,  a  charming  nest,  which  he 
will  be  happy  to  show  you.  It  is  called  Midori  no 
Sato — that  is  to  say,  the  hill  of  vernal  verdure." 

"  The  name  is  charming,  and  invites  the  incredu- 
lous to  make  a  trial." 

"  The  situation  is  more  charming  still.  My  friend 
has  constructed  there,  close  by  his  villa,  a  complete 
Japanese  house,  exact  to  the  minutest  detail,  in  the 
middle  of  a  park  that  is  a  model  of  its  kind.  If  you 
feel  any  desire  that  way,  I  will  write  to  him  and  we 
can  go  together." 

"  A  thousand  thanks.  I  accept  anew  the  offer 
you  make  me  with  such  good  grace." 

"  Meanwhile,  come  again  to  see  me,  and  we  will 
turn  over  the  leaves  of  some  interesting  albums, 
which,  aiding  me  by  their  souvenirs  and  some 
sketches  taken  in  my  travels,  will  pretty  nearly 
explain  to  you  all  you  desire  to  learn." 

Some  few  days  afterwards  the  two  ladies  met 
again  as  proposed. 

They    installed    themselves  in   the    library.     The 


Decoration  of  a  European  House.         67 

Countess  piled  upon  the  table  a  heap  of  albums, 
thin  and  pliant,  covered  with  light  designs  and  in- 
comprehensible signs. 

Madame  d'Arbois  took  up  one  and  glanced 
through  it  as  if  it  had  been  a  European  book.  Her 
friend  stopped  her. 

"  You  begin  at  the  end,"  said  she  ;  "  see  this  nar- 
row band  of  paper  covered  with  characters  ;  it  is  the 
title  of  the  work,  read  from  top  to  bottom,  and  not 
from  left  to  right,  and  begin  your  book  on  what 
would  be  the  last  page  with  us." 

"  Thanks.  At  present,  if  I  do  not  know  how  to 
read  Japanese,  at  least  I  know  how  it  ought  to  be 
read.  That  is  always  a  beginning  of  knowledge." 

"  Now,"  continued  Madame  de  Mayrial,  "  I  com- 
mence my  lesson.  We  are  going  into  the  very  heart 
of  our  subject ;  we  are  going  to  see  the  work  of  those 
workmen-artists  and  those  artist-workmen  for  whom 
there  exist  no  vain  distinctions  of  *  pure  art  '  and 
'  applied  art.' 

"  It  is  in  this  way  that  the  humblest  thing  is  not 
without  its  elegance,  seeing  it  comes  from  the  hands 
of  a  workman  having  in  him  the  stuff  of  an  artist, 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  artist,  to  obtain  by 
himself  the  realisation  of  his  dream,  will  not  shrink 
from  the  most  fastidious  manual  labour,  any  more 
than  he  will  hesitate  to  give  to  it  the  form  of  a 
common  object,  if  such  be  his  good  pleasure." 


NATURAL  PRODUCTS  AND  PROCESSES 
OF  MANUFACTURE. 


STONE* 


STONE  is  sufficiently  abundant  in  Japan,  but  is 
little  used  for  building.  The  tori-i  and  the  toro, 
i.e.  the  portico  and  the  lantern,  are  two  of  the  few 
objects  that  the  Japanese  execute  in  stone.  The 
former  is  a  decorative  object  placed  in  front  of  the 
temples  ;  the  latter,  besides  serving  a  like  purpose, 
is  also  used  in  gardens  and  along  roadsides. 

The  tori-i  is  composed  of  four  principal  pieces 
simply  united  :  two  cylindric  columns,  very  slightly 
inclined  to  one  another,  support  a  fascia  of  stone, 
disposed  horizontally,  without  moulding  or  sculp- 
ture of  any  sort,  but  lightly  raised  at  the  two  ends ; 
the  other  column,  perfectly  straight,  is  placed  be- 


*  The  great  part  of  the  information  in  the  following  pages  concern- 
ing the  industries  and  processes  of  manufacture,  the  natural  products, 
etc.,  have  been  taken  from  official  sources. 


71 


72      Natiiral  Products  and  Manufactures. 

neath,  enclosed  within  the  two  vertical  ones  ;  it  is 
attached  to  the  upper  fascia  by  a  shaft  dividing  the 
space  between  the  two  vertical  columns  into  two 
equal  parts. 

There  are  tori-i  in  unwrought  and  in  lacquered 
wood,  and  also  in  metal.  The  toro  has  always  a  little 
of  the  look  of  a  pagoda  in  miniature. 

The  ornamentation  of  those  species  of  lanterns 
intended  more  for  show  than  for  use  is  often  highly 
elaborate  and  varied.  They  admit  always,  however, 
a  pedestal,  a  shaft  and  a  receptacle  for  the  light, 
with  its  capriciously  distorted  roof.  They  have  a 
massive  appearance  not  belonging  to  those  made  in 
bronze. 

The  stones  most  used  are : 

1st.  Granite,  of  which  are  made  the  statues  of  the 
gods,  the  columns  and  porticos  of  temples,  the 
corner-stones  of  bridges,  the  causeways,  etc. 
2d.  Limestone,  the  first  quality  of  which,  marble,  is 
employed  for  tombs,  monuments,  and  the  great 
lanterns  of  temples  and  parks.  Inferior  qualities 
are  used  in  making  lime. 

3d.  Argilite,  a  refractory  stone,  serving  for  the  con- 
struction of  roads,  for  watering-troughs,  for  mill- 
stones, and  entering  into  the  composition  of 
porcelain. 

4th.  Schistose  chlorites,  blue,  green,  and  ashy  grey, 
serving  for  the  construction  of  bridges,  for 


74      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

flagging,  for  pavements,  and  (the  more  beauti- 
ful sorts)  for  the  ornamentation  of  gardens. 

5th.  Sand-stones,  highly  varied  and  very  beautiful, 
often  chosen  by  sculptors  ;  they  serve  numerous 
purposes,  among  others  that  of  whetstones. 

6th.  Slate,  black  or  brown,  often  with  red  or  blue 
spots,  serving  similar  purposes  as  among  our- 
selves. 


1 

^ 

•?.23^J^ 

1 

^ 

'&£*£? 

f 

\ 

- 

WOOD. 

CARPENTERS — JOINERS — CABINETMAKERS- 
COOPERS — MAKERS    OF    WOODEN    SHOES,    ETC. 


JAPAN  has  an  abundant  variety  of  woods,  and 
the  care  taken  in  the  preservation  of  their 
forests  is  not  the  least  among  the  touching  traits  in 
the  character  of  its  inhabitants.  This  solicitude  is 
not  due  to  avarice,  to  greed  of  gain,  but,  rquch  to 
the  contrary,  is  prompted  by  a  delicate  sentiment  of 
tender  respect  for  everything  that  contributes  to  the 
beauty  of  the  country  in  the  midst  of  which  they 
live  and  which  they  so  well  appreciate. 

In  the  front  rank  must  be  placed  the  light  bam- 
boo, so  graceful  of  mien  that  it  might  have  dispensed 
with  the  property  of  usefulness.  Its  trembling 
foliage  recalls  the  willow;  like  this,  the  bamboo 
is  fond  of  humid  places  ;  and  also,  seen  in  mass 

75 


76      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

and  at  a  distance,  it  fails  a  little  of  that  which 
artists  call  character :  it  is  accordingly  a  fore- 
ground decoration. 

In  one  of  those  consecrated  forests  in  which  are 
sheltered  the  tombs  of  the  priests,  one  receives  a 
thrilling  impression.  The  bamboo  shafts,  slim,  sleek, 
and  annulate,  attaining  extraordinary  heights  ;  the 
rustling  of  the  foliage  like  the  murmur  of  swept 
silk ;  the  exquisite  freshness  enjoyed  beneath  the 
umbrageous  canopy,  the  haunt,  as  one  might  imagine 
of  benevolent  spirits ; — all  contribute  to  inspire 
meditation  sweet  and  unforgetable. 

What  would  be  Japan  without  the  bamboo  ?  For 
what  is  it  not  useful  ?  Under  the  name  of  takenoki 
the  young  shoots  are  used  as  food.  Basket-work, 
umbrellas,  fans,  lanterns,  and  hats  are  all  contribu- 
tions of  the  young  bamboo. 

Flower-stands  in  endless  variety  of  shapes,  boxes 
of  all  £orts,  certain  trays,  the  kagos,  or  carrying- 
chairs,  in  which  sit  the  graceful  moiismc's,  apparatus 
for  irrigation  and  canalisation,  flying  bridges,  hydrau- 
lic machines,  etc.,  and  many  details  of  construction 
are  all  made  from  the  tall  bamboo. 

After  the  bamboo  comes  the  superb  and  numerous 
family  of  conifers  which  give  to  Japanese  landscape 
a  character  so  individual.  It  is  the  multitude  of 
firs,  whose  agitated  outline  fringes,  as  with  capri- 
cious lacework,  the  crest  of  the  hills ;  it  is  the  Matsu 


Wood.  77 

C Cryptomeria  japonica),  the  heart  of  which  is  red- 
dish, the  grain  close,  and  the  cell-tissue  very  resinous. 

The  Tsuga  (Abies  tsuga),  a  fir-tree  very  close  and 
very  hard  of  grain  ;  the  Momi  ( Abies  firma),  another 
species  of  fir-tree  whose  rapid  growth  renders  it  very 
serviceable.  These  woods  furnish  the  materials 
for  cabinet-making,  for  architecture,  and  for  ship- 
building, etc. 

Oaks,  much  less  diffused,  serve  to  make  furniture, 
wheels,  and  handles  for  tools. 

The  following  species  are  for  the  most  part  un- 
known out  of  Japan. 

Kusonoki  (Cinnamomum  camphora),  the  wood  of 
which,  very  compact  and  very  hard,  is  not  injured 
by  contact  with  the  water.  Its  beauty  causes  it  to 
be  often  used  for  the  ornamentation  of  apartments. 

Hari-giri  (Kalopanax  ricinifolia),  hard  wood, 
coarse  grain,  is  sometimes  used  in  joinery,  etc. 

Cabinet-makers,  besides  the  preceding  woods,  util- 
ise the  following  : 

The  Sawara  (  Cliamcecyparis  pisifera),  the  Hiba 
(Thuyapsio  dolabrata),  the  Nedzuko  (Thuya  gigan- 
tea),  very  dark  ;  the  Tsubiakudan  (  Thuya  gigantea), 
the  Benibiakutan  ( Juniper  us  japonica),  of  red  colour 


78      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

with  very  close  grain  ;  the  Kay  a  (  Torreya  nucifera), 
very  white  ;  the  Inugaya  (Cephalotaxus  drupacea), 
less  beautiful  than  the  preceding  one ;  the  Nagi 
(Podocarpus  nageia),  the  Tohi  (Pice a  Alcokiana), 
which  is  also  much  used  in  architecture — split  in 
little  laths  it  serves  for  roofs  ;  the  Sirabe  (Abies 
Veitchi),  the  Icho  (Ginkgo  biloba),  the  Midzume 
(Betula  ulmifolia),  the  Shirabaka  (Betula  alba), 
with  a  vein  of  black,  which  is  worked  in  the  lathe  ; 
finally  and  above  all  the  Chanehin  (Cedrela  sinensis), 
of  a  very  beautiful  red,  and  the  Kurumi  (Juglans 
mandshurica),  a  very  beautiful  wood,  used  for 
ornamentation  of  houses  and  for  costly  furni- 
ture, etc. 

Cabinet-makers  have  still  the  choice  of  the  follow- 
ing varieties  : 

Take  (bamboo),  Nanten  (Nandina  domestica),  Sen- 
dan  (Melia  Azedarach),  Tubaki  (Camellia  japonica), 
Sansyo  (Zanthoxylonpiperitum),  Kiri  ( Paulownia  im- 
perialis),  a  light  and  very  soft  wood  ;  Awogiri  (Ster- 
culia  platanifolia),  Hanoki  (Magnolia  hypoleuca), 
very  close  and  very  tender  in  the  grain,  of  this  is  also 
made  the  charcoal  with  which  are  polished  lacquer 
and  metals  ;  Akiniski,  Enoki  (  Chamczcyparis  obtusa), 
Kuwa  (mulberry  tree),  of  very  fine  wood,  hard  and 
brilliant  ;  Kuri  (chestnut),  Sawa  gurumi  (Ptero- 
carya  rlwifolia),  the  bark  of  which,  known  under  the 


IVood.  79 

name  of  JukoJii,  is  used  to  make  the  small  famous 
objects  of  Nikko ;  Maki  (Podocarpus  macrophylla), 
etc.  Many  others  are  also  utilized  to  advantage. 

Minebari  (Betula  corylifolia)  is  used  for  making 
weavers'  shuttles  and  walking-sticks ;  Hannoki(Alnus 
japonic*)  is  used  for  charcoal,  and  its  bark  as  a  dye ; 
Yama  narashi  (Populns  tremula)  serves  for  making 
chopsticks,  tooth-brushes,  seals,  etc. 

Tsuge  (Buxus  japonica),  excessively  hard  and 
yellow  ;  used  to  make  combs,  printing  plates,  and 
artificial  teeth ;  Mochi  noki  (Ilex  Integra),  yields 
glue.  Urushi  (Rhus  vernicifera),  from  which  is 
procured  the  precious  varnish  with  which  lacquer 
is  made  ;  it  further  serves  for  inlaid  work,  shuttles, 
and  fishing  floats  ;  its  fruits  yield  wax.  This  tree  is 
highly  prized  in  Japan. 

Kaki  (Diospyros  kaki),  a  very  hard  wood,  with 
close  grain  ;  the  heart,  named  kurogaki,  acquires 
with  age  a  dark  hue  that  can  also  be  artificially 
obtained  by  burying  the  tree  in  ferruginous  earth. 
From  it  are  made  objects  of  value.  Its  fruits  are 
very  much  esteemed.  Their  juice  yields  shibu,  a 
sort  of  very  precious  coating  used  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  materials.  Biwa  (Photinia  japonica),  very 
solid  wood  with  close  grain  ;  is  reserved  for  musical 
instruments.  Its  fruits  are  excellent. 


8o      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Mokukoku(Ternstr(zmiajaponica)  is  used  to  make 
combs  and  small  objects;  Kamboku  (Viburnum 
opulus)  makes  toothpicks ;  Isu  (  Distylium  race- 
mosum),  brown-red  wood,  serves  the  same  pur- 
poses as  the  preceding  woods,  and  is  indispensable 
in  the  composition  of  porcelain  glazes. 

Hinoki  ( Chamcecyparis  pisifera)  emits  an  agreeable 
odour,  is  a  faultless  wood,  and  of  a  very  close  grain. 
Sculptors  use  it  in  preference  to  all  other  woods  ; 
it  is  used  also  in  house-building.  It  is  called  "  sun- 
wood  "  or  "  fire-wood,"  because,  before  the  inven- 
tion of  tinder-boxes,  it  was  used  to  obtain  fire  by 
friction. 

Of  this  wood  are  sculptured  the  statues  of  the 
gods,  warriors,  geniuses,  guardians  of  temples,  as 
also  those  gates  of  temples  marvellously  carved  in 
intaglio,  and  witnessing  to  extraordinary  patience 
exercised  in  the  service  of  an  exquisite  art. 

Let  us  mention  in  passing  the  exterior  gate  of 
the  temple  of  Katasse  with  two  valves,  each  con- 
taining three  panels  sculptured  outside  and  inside, 
pierced  in  such  a  way  that  the  same  openings  lend 
themselves  to  the  forms  demanded  by  two  very 
different  compositions. 

Of  other  temples,  those  consecrated  to  the  cult  of 
the  Shintoistes  admit  only  the  use  of  unwrought 
wood,  without  either  decorations  or  varnish. 


Wood. 


8 


The  tools  of  the  Japanese  sculptor  are  the 
chisel,  the  hammer,  and  the  mallet.  It  is  worth 
remarking  that  he  never  works  standing,  but  either 


A   WOOD-CARVER. 

seated  or  squatted  on  a  trestle  at  a  higher  or  lower 
elevation. 

Joiners  and  carpenters  have  tools  very  nearly 
alike,  except  in  respect  of  their  dimensions — smaller 
for  the  latter. 


82       Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Here  is  a  very  ingenious  tool  used  for  tracing 
lines.  A  cord  is  fixed  to  a  bobbin,  whence  it  un- 
winds itself,  passing  across  a  reservoir  with  a  sponge 
soaked  in  Indian  ink.  This  cord  ends  in  a  nail 


WORKERS   IN   WOOD. 

fixed   in  the  piece  of  wood  to  be  marked,  so  that 
a  single  man  suffices  for  working  it. 

The  nails  are  of  iron,  without  the  flat  heads  of 
ours,  but  split  into  two  flat  plates  that  are  bent 
round  to  form  a  ring. 


Wood.  83 


Nor  has  the  carpenter's  saw,  either,  any  resem- 
blance to  ours ;  it  is  held  in  both  hands,  with  the 
point  of  the  teeth  turned  towards  the  handle. 

The  place  of  our  hatchet  is  likewise  supplied  by  a 
tool  formed  like  a  hoe  ;  it  requires  consummate  skill 
to  use  it  their  way  without  hurting  one's  self. 

Their  chisels  are  not  set  straight-handled ;  their 
plane  is  very  flat.  They  use  these  tools  by  drawing 
them  towards  them,  and,  as  they  work  without 
benches,  squatted  on  the 
ground,  they  cut  out,  saw, 
and  plane,  using  their  feet 
to  hold  the  wood. 

It  is  from  among  the 
carpenters  that  the  fire- 
brigade  is  recruited. 

Look  at  a  workman 
cleaving  wood  into  thin 
slabs,  whether  for  veneer-  A  JOINER. 

ing,  or  for  manufacturing  articles  before  being  lac- 
quered. He  is  squatted,  and  holds  his  slab  with  his 
feet  supporting  it  against  his  forehead,  so  as  to  have 
both  hands  free  to  ply  his  task. 

A  joiner  bores  a  hole  in  a  board  by  rapidly  turn- 
ing a  gouge  between  his  hands.  This  other  one 
uses  a  tool  resembling  a  sickle  with  outside  edge ; 
the  same  tool  answers  with  a  cooper.  And  in  every 
case  the  foot  is  always  ready,  like  another  hand,  to 


84      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 


help  in  the  work  and  to  make  up  for  the  inadequacy 
of  equipment. 

Ingenious  in  everything,  they  have  devised  a 
curious  method  whereby  one  man  can  carry  four 
beams  with  least  expense  of  effort.  One  of  them 
serving  to  support  the  others  leans  upon  the  man's 
shoulder;  a  rope  is  fastened  around  the  narrower 
extremity  of  the  three  beams,  and  attached  to  the 


MAKING    WOODEN    SHOES. 


one  serving  to  sustain  the  others,  so  that  the  whole 
is  kept  in  perfect  equilibrium. 

It  is  Paulownia  wood,  whereof  are  made  the 
guttas,  those  bizarre  sabots,  so  high  that  it  is  a  puzzle 
how  anyone  can  walk  in  them  without  falling.  They 
are  always  left  at  the  interior  door  of  the  habitation, 
for  no  one  walks  upon  the  mats  (tatamis)  shod 
otherwise  than  in  a  sort  of  cloth  stocking,  which 
detaches  the  big  toe  as  in  a  glove,  in  order  to  let  the 


Wood.  85 

wearer  grasp  the  strap  which  binds  to  the  foot  the 
straw  sandal  or  the  gue'ta. 


METHOD   FOR    CARRYING    BEAMS. 


The  maker  of  sabots  uses  his  feet  to  hold  the  piece 
of  wood  out  of  which  he  fashions  them  ;  occasion- 
ally, however,  he  sits  astride  a  sort  of  trestle. 


86      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

His  tools  are  similar  to  those  of  the  joiner  and 
carpenter  ;  he  uses  them  in  the  same  way. 

There  is  yet  much  that  might  be  said  in  respect  of 
a  multitude  of  methods  of  daily  practice,  as  simple 
as  they  are  ingenious,  connected  with  the  fabrication 
of  wood. 

The  little  boxes  used  to  enclose  the  apparatus 
necessary  for  blackening  the  teeth  ;  the  receptacle 
for  the  tooth-  and  powder-brushes ;  the  dressing- 
table  with  its  numerous  drawers  of  all  dimensions, 
and  which,  as  an  accessory  to  their  toilet,  would 
certainly  please  European  ladies ;  a  box  with  all 
sorts  of  writing  materials ;  hand-screens,  screen- 
frames,  and  music-tables  ;  dining-tables ;  boxes  hold- 
ing the  chop-sticks ;  flat  bobbins  for  thread  and 
silk ;  large  chests  covered  with  designs  in  bright 
colours,  which  would  look  so  well  in  an  ante- 
chamber. The  various  kitchen  utensils ;  and  finally 
the  work-table,  left  to  the  end  of  this  long  enumera- 
tion, as  it  merits  special  mention. 

This  piece  of  furniture  is  very  ingeniously 
planned.  From  the  body  of  it,  which  rests  on 
the  ground  and  contains  many  drawers,  there  rises 
a  small  column,  the  capital  of  which  supports 
a  pincushion  with  a  drawer. 

This  arrangement  enables  the  work  to  be  placed 
on  the  table  without  hiding  or  upsetting  the  small 


Wood. 


87 


articles  used  by  a  dressmaker — cottons,  needles,  pins, 
etc.  It  is  a  pity  that  these  little  pieces  of  furniture 
are  not  imported  by  us ;  as  well  as  the  dressing- 
tables  cited  above.  They  would  be  sure  of  a  good 
reception. 


METAL: 

METAL-FORGERS,  ARMOURERS,  GOLDSMITHS, 
CHASERS,  ETC. 


A  URI FERGUS  ore  was  formerly  worked  with 
j[  V  the  hand.  After  being  pounded,  sorted,  and 
classed,  the  ore  was  taken  to  the  refiner's,  crushed 
by  iron  hammers  on  sloping  plates,  sifted,  in  part 
decanted,  ground  by  means  of  hand-mills,  washed  on 
tables,  and  winnowed  on  wooden  plates. 

The  particles  of  gold  were  smelted  in  small  cruci- 
bles heated  by  a  charcoal  fire,  whose  combustion 
was  quickened  by  hand-bellows. 

The  methods  are  now  much  improved,  and  the 
yield  is  very  much  greater. 

88 


Metal.  89 


According  to  latest  official  reports,  there  are  in 
Japan  ninety-one  copper  mines,  fifty-three  mines  of 
iron,  forty-one  of  silver,  and  twenty-nine  of  gold. 
Lead,  tin,  and  antimony  are  found  only  in  small 
quantities. 

IRON. — High  furnaces  of  fire-clay  are  now  used. 
The  hearth  is  constructed  of  clay  and  pulverised  coal. 
The  fire  is  maintained  by  rocking  bellows  worked  by 
two  or  three  men.  In  the  province  of  Rikuchiu, 
some  are  also  constructed  double  in  fire-brick.  Com- 
bustion is  promoted  by  square  bellows  worked  by 
hydraulic  power. 

COPPER. — This  mineral  is  sorted,  pulverised,  and 
washed  with  the  hand.  It  is  calcined  in  furnaces 
heated  by  wood  fires.  Argentiferous  copper  is 
melted  with  lead  and  treated  by  liquation.  The 
argentiferous  lead  obtained  thereby  is  subjected  to 
cupellation. 

LEAD. — Lead  ore  is  crushed,  sifted,  washed,  and 
smelted  in  a  small  furnace  like  that  used  for  refining 
copper.  Cast-iron  is  added  for  precipitation. 

ALLOYS. — Japanese  alloys  are  employed  for  the 
most  part  for  ornamental  mouldings,  for  statues,  for 
musical  instruments,  and  bells.  The  following  are 
the  principal  : 


go      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

SEIDO   (green   copper),   an  alloy  of  copper,  lead, 
and  sometimes  tin. 


UDO  (black  copper),  alloy  of  copper,  tin,  and  lead, 
giving  also  in  other  proportions  sentokudo. 

SHIDO  (violet  copper),  alloy  of  copper  and  lead. 

SCHINCHIU  (yellow  copper),  alloy  of  copper,  zinc, 
and  lead. 

The  principal  alloys,  however,  are  schakudo  and 
schibuichi.  The  former  contains  95  per  cent,  cop- 
per, i£  to  4  per  cent,  gold,  I  to  ij  per  cent,  silver, 
and  sometimes  a  little  lead,  iron,  and  arsenic.  The 
latter  contains  50  to  67  per  cent,  copper,  30  to  50 
per  cent,  silver,  with  iron  and  gold  in  infinitesimal 
quantities. 

Such  is  the  virtue  of  these  alloys  that  most  fre- 
quently patina  is  obtained  without  the  adjunct  of 
any  foreign  agent.  Contact  with  the  hand  suffices 
with  chamois  leather. 

Schinchiu  and  shido  are  of  great  use  in  deco- 
ration. 

Copper  not  having  been  discovered  in  Japan  till 
towards  the  eighth  century,  it  may  be  concluded 
that  for  the  manufacture  of  bronze  objects  before 
that  date,  the  primary  ingredients  were  imported 
from  China  or  the  Corea. 


Metal. 


The  most  beautiful  antique  articles  still  in  exist- 
ence go  back  to  the  introduction  of  Buddhism : 
statues,  some  of  them  of  colossal  size,  bells,  lanterns, 
basins,  sword-guards.  These  are  the  finest  speci- 
mens of  an  art  which,  since  its  origin,  has  been  in 
continuous  progress. 


METAL   FORGERS. 

Moulding  in  wax,  which  is  afterwards  run  out,  is 
the  most  common  process  both  for  the  making  of 
objects  of  regular  use,  such  as  incense-pans,  brasiers 
(hibachi),  and  flower-vases,  as  also  for  the  most 
elaborate  works  of  art. 

Bronze  is  coloured  with  plum  vinegar,  the  sul- 
phate of  copper  or  of  iron,  verdigris,  the  red 
oxide  of  iron  and  varnish. 


Q 2       Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Sometimes  the  workman-artist,  to  complete  his 
work,  has  recourse  to  chasing,  to  hammering,  and  to 
inlaying,  which,  according  to  the  case,  may  be  in 
gold,  in  silver,  in  mother-of-pearl,  or  even  in  precious 
stones.  But  these  different  arts  appear  first  in  the' 
sixteenth  century. 

Here  are  several  expressions  indicating  certain  of 
their  processes :  kibori,  fine  chasing ;  hirazogan, 
embossing;  kata  kiri  bori,  relief  obtained  with  chas- 
ing and  with  the  hammer  ;  kata  kiri  bori  zogan, 
uniting  these  various  processes  with  other  manual 
ones. 

In  such  fashion  are  made  objects  intended  for 
the  decoration  of  apartments,  and  others  used  in 
religious  services  :  vases,  statues  of  the  gods  and  of 
fantastic  animals,  chandeliers  representing  often  a 

crane  or  a  tortoise,  incense-pans,  gongs,  and  bells,  etc. 
i 

ARMS  AND  ARMOURERS. — For  centuries  veritable 
artists  have  devoted  their  talents  to  the  manufacture 
of  armour  and  arms.  And  for  the  ornamentation, 
more  especially  of  the  swords,  whose  temper  sets  at 
defiance  your  Toledo  and  Damascus  blades,  they 
have  put  in  contribution  nature,  history,  and  reli- 
gion ;  and,  despite  the  enormous  production,  they 
have  never  repeated  their  designs. 

Let  us  examine  in  detail  the  formidable  apparatus 
of  those  fierce  warriors  of  former  times  : 


Metal. 


93 


First,  helmets,  often  of  grotesque  shape,  just 
revealing  in  the  shade  of  the  projecting  visor  a 
grimacing  iron  mask.  Next,  a  sort  of  coat  of  mail 


SABRE-GUARDS. 


ANTIQUE  HELMET. 


STIRRUPS. 


wrought  on  textures,  surrounding  the  bust  and  arms, 
and  falling  over  the  haunches  in  separate  bands, 
either  overlapping  or  diverging  from  each  other, 
according  to  movements  and  attitude. 


94      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

The  shoulders  are  protected  by  broad  epaulettes 
of  the  same  description,  over  which  falls  the  articu- 
lated bavolet  of  the  helmet.  The  legs,  the  fore- 
arms, and  the  hands  are  protected  by  plates  of  metal. 

Under  the  coat  of  mail  comes  a  pair  of  bulging 
pantaloons,  more  suitable  than  the  national  robe  for 
riding  and  for  exercise  in  arms. 

The  Japanese  have  now  adopted  European  ac- 
coutrements. Thereby  they  have  lost  in  originality 
what  they  have  gained  in  convenience. 

In  former  times  they  used  only  noble  arms — the 
sabre,  the  lance,  and  arrows. 

Before  the  revolution  it  was  the  manner  of  the 
nobles  and  principal  officials  to  wear  two  sabres. 
One,  the  katana,  eighteen  inches  long,  was  the 
arm  used  in  fight.  The  other,  the  wakisashi,  of 
smaller  dimensions,  was  destined  for  hara-kiri,  i.e., 
for  the  act  of  legal  suicide.  Much  more  ornamented 
than  the  katana,  it  was  by  way  of  distinction  the 
noble  arm,  the  gentleman's  safeguard,  that  which 
rendered  him  master  of  his  life  ;  and,  in  case  of 
crime  or  disgrace,  spared  him  the  ignominy  of 
execution  by  the  public  headsman.  Inasmuch  as 
legal  suicide  cleared  away  all  taints,  a  family  might 
thereby  continue  to  bear  its  name,  the  honour  of 
which  must  remain  unsullied. 

The  scabbard  of  the  katana  (saya)  is  in  light  wood 
lacquered  with  black.  The  blade,  of  perfect  temper, 


Metal.  95 


is  sharpened  by  one  of  those  master  steel-whetters 
nowhere  found  out  of  Japan.  He  works  in  a 
squatting  position,  his  grindstones,  ever  smoother 
and  smoother,  plunging  into  buckets  resting  on  the 
ground. 

Polishing  is  done  by  means  of  patient  and  me- 
thodical friction  effected  with  a  cloth  moistened  in 
the  water  in  which  the  grindstones  for  sharpening 
blades  are  dipped. 

The  final  finishing  of  choice  arms,  which  must  never 
be  anointed  with  oil  nor  touched  with  moist  hands, 
is  committed  to  an  expert. 

The  two  menukis,  passed  through  the  loop  platted 
in  the  form  of  a  lozenge  which  adorns  the  handle,  are 
intended  to  prevent  the  weapon  from  slipping  in  the 
hand.  They  are  veritable  jewels,  thanks  to  skilful 
goldsmiths,  as  is  also  the  kodzaka,  a  small  knife,  the 
sharp  blade  of  which  is  buried  in  the  scabbard  of  the 
sabre,  its  handle  passing  into  one  of  the  holes  of  the 
guard. 

The  Japanese  use  it  as  a  missile  weapon,  somewhat 
in  the  style  of  the  Italians. 

In  the  other  hole  reserved  in  the  guard  passes  the 
kogai,  a  head-pin,  formerly  serving  to  fix  the  head- 
dress of  the  soldiers  by  attaching  it  to  the  hair,  which 
was  then  worn  very  long,  somewhat  in  chignon  style. 

There  was  a  time  when  it  was  deemed  a  great  luxury 
to  have  a  great  number  of  swords.  A  different  sort 


96      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

of  sword  was  used  for  each  kind  of  dress.  Certain 
nobles  possessed  as  many  as  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
hundred,  testifying  to  their  nobility. 

A  man,  however  poor  and  ill-clad,  having  ancient 
and  costly  sabres  at  his  belt,  was  more  esteemed 
than  a  man  in  rich  costume  carrying  a  common 
weapon. 

The  legends  of  the  country  declare  the  sword 
blades  to  be  fairies,  each  with  a  soul  in  it.  Nothing 
in  the  world  would  therefore  induce  a  Japanese  to 
carry  arms  not  belonging  to  him. 

It  was  in  order  to  exorcise  the  bad  spirits  roaming 
about  in  space  that  the  armourers  dedicated  their 
choicest  works  to  Bishamon,  God  of  War,  and  that 
they  suspended  in  their  workshops  the  Shinto'ist 
goey  a  garland  composed  of  narrow  bands  of  white 
paper. 

They  also  believed  that  the  god  Inari  came  to 
help  them  to  forge  the  beautiful  blades,  to  which 
names  were  given,  and  which,  loved  and  esteemed, 
passed  from  generation  to  generation  in  the  family. 

The  profession  of  master-armourer  ennobles  its 
practitioner. 

Custom  requires  a  master-armourer  to  put  on  his 
court  suit  when  giving  the  last  touch  to  a  valuable 
piece  of  arms.  This  habit  shows  in  what  high 
honour  this  art  and  the  master  of  this  art  were 
held. 


Metal.  97 


CLOISONNE  ENAMELS. — The  processes  followed 
in  the  manufacture  of  cloisonne  enamels  were  bor- 
rowed from  China  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

Delicate  filigree  bands  of  copper  applied  imme- 
diately to  the  metal  surface  of  an  object  are  fixed  by 
a  soldering  mixed  with  borax.  They  form  small 
moulds  which  are  filled  up  with  enamels  of  various 
colours,  comparable,  in  composition,  to  those  em- 
ployed for  the  decoration  of  porcelains  :  pulverised 
glass,  powder  of  lead,  silex,  and  various  metallic  oxides. 

Charcoal  is  used  for  heating  this  first  coating,  and 
the  operation  is  repeated  till  the  required  thickness 
is  obtained. 

Sand,  a  series  of  whettings  on  stones,  and,  by  way 
of  finish,  charcoal  of  magnolia,  are  used  in  polishing. 

Cloisonne"  enamel  has  recently  been  applied  to 
porcelain ;  the  processes  are  the  same  as  above, 
except  that  to  fix  the  brass  filigree  a  very  fusible 
glass  is  employed.  The  fusion  of  metals  powerfully 
aids  their  adhesion. 

It  is  at  Nagoya  that  the  finest  cloisonne1  enamels 
are  at  present  manufactured. 

GOLDSMITH'S  WORK. — The  Japanese  have  no 
goldsmith's  work,  properly  so-called,  and  still  less 
jewelry.  They  wear  neither  necklaces,  nor  rings, 
nor  bracelets ;  they  use  no  silver-plate ;  they  have 
no  vessels  of  gold  in  their  temples. 


98      Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Their  only  jewels — small  plates  adorning  tobacco- 
pouches,  tiny  pipes  in  chased  silver  or  in  copper,  the 
bowl  whereof  contains  tobacco  for  only  one  or  two 
whiffs ;  inkstands,  medicine-boxes,  menukis,  hodzukas, 
lastly  and  especially  the  netzkds,  on  which,  irrespec- 
tive of  the  material,  so  much  art  has  been  expended 
— have  nothing  in  common  with  ours. 

Natural  wood,  lacquered  wood,  ivory,  horn,  jade, 
amber,  onyx,  coral,  crystal,  and  all  sorts  of  metals 
have  been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  netzke's.  These 
objects,  of  prime  necessity  to  an  inhabitant  of  the 
Empire  of  the  Rising  Sun, — objects  which  have 
exercised  the  talents  of  innumerable  artists, — are 
used  in  suspending  to  the  girdle  various  little  bibelots, 
without  which  a  Japanese's  toilet  would  not  be  com- 
plete :  pipe,  tobacco-pouch,  writing-tablet,  and  some- 
times a  medicine-box. 

Each  article  is  tied  to  a  string.  These  strings, 
united,  pass  through  a  small  hole  in  the  netzkt.  A 
large  knot  is  tied  at  the  other  side  of  the  hole  to 
hold  them  all  together.  The  netzke  thus  forms  the 
head  of  a  kind  of  tassel,  whereof  each  thrum  ends  in 
a  light  object.  When  the  waistband  is  tied,  one 
drops  under  it  the  netzk^  which  prevents  all  sus- 
pended to  it  from  slipping  through  the  girdle. 

Osaka,  Nara,  and  Kioto  are  the  towns  which 
supply  the  most  beautiful  and  the  most  numerous 
specimens  of  these  delicate  objects  of  art. 


Metal.  99 


The  okimono  is  like  the  netzke  in  every  respect, 
except  that  it  is  not  perforated,  and  can  serve  only 
as  an  ornament  for  the  ttagere. 

There  is,  then,  no  comparison  between  the  Japan- 
ese goldsmith's  work  and  ours.  Fancy  and  taste 
follow  the  prescribed  style  and  rules. 

Drawing  his  inspiration  always  from  nature,  the 
Japanese  artist  evinces  a  high  degree  of  pliancy. 
Free  and  picturesque  is  his  art,  altogether  indifferent 
to  the  materials  whereon  it  is  exercised,  except  in 
relation  to  the  effects  of  which  they  are  susceptible. 
Of  small  moment  to  him  whether  an  object  be  in 
gold  or  in  silver.  Be  it  of  the  commonest  material, 
his  appreciation  will  respect  the  elegancy  of  its  form 
and  the  delicacy  of  its  elaboration.  All  that  the  Japan- 
ese artist  regards  in  so  many  different  metals  is  their 
colour,  their  brilliancy,  their  sparkle.  He  assorts  them 
as  does  a  painter  the  colours  on  his  palette,  choosing 
now  tin  and  now  lead,  with  the  same  pleasure  as  at 
another  time  gold,  and  at  another  time  silver. 

Certain  large  bronze  vases,  adorned  with  gold 
and  silver,  and  covered  with  sculpture  and  designs, 
held  below  apparently  by  but  a  thread,  have  proved 
insoluble  problems  to  our  most  skilful  artists.  We 
wonder  at  religious  statues  of  colossal  dimensions,  at 
bells  and  at  lanterns,  whereon  the  artist  has  lavished 
invention  and  genius,  and  wherein  he  has  attained 
the  utmost  limits  of  art. 


ioo    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Let  us  follow  him  in  some  of  his  operations.  First 
of  all,  he  makes  choice  of  the  subject  to  be  executed. 
It  is,  we  will  suppose,  the  dried  branch  of  a  peach. 
There  it  is — wrinkled,  twisted,  distorted,  and  spec- 
kled with  yellow  and  greenish  moss,  sprinkled  with 
small  red  points,  pitted,  exhibiting  an  old  wound  at 
the  point  of  its  junction  with  the  tree,  a  wound  that 
is  probably  the  cause  of  its  death. 

He  installs  himself  in  his  garden,  to  study  well  his 
model  and  to  completely  saturate  his  nature  with 
its  idea. 

He  begins  by  modelling  it  in  wax ;  then  he  does  it 
over  in  fine  clay  and  with  successive  coatings  thereof, 
which  he  allows  to  harden.  He  makes  a  mould  of  it 
which  he  lutes,  that  is  to  say,  surrounds  with  a  special 
coating  forming  an  envelope,  perforated,  however,  by 
some  small  apertures. 

He  then  encloses  it  in  a  cover  which  he  has  made 
for  the  purpose,  and  heats  it  at  a  small  fire.  The 
melted  wax  runs  off  by  the  holes,  and  the  result  is  a 
mould  of  scrupulous  exactness. 

Not  disdaining  the  work  of  a  founder,  he  prepares 
his  alloy  and  runs  it  into  the  pit  of  the  heated 
mould,  which,  after  it  has  completely  cooled,  is 
broken,  and  the  branch  appears  in  its  absolute  purity. 

The  workman  now  resumes  his  function  of 
artist,  and  sets  himself  to  his  task,  squatted  in 
front  of  his  model,  holding  with  his  feet  the  ob- 


Metal.  101 


ject  he  desires  to  perfect.  A  work  minute  and 
delicate  begins. 

With  what  devotion  he  chisels,  polishes,  colours, 
putting  in  contribution  all  the  processes  above  -cit^ed  : 
the  kibora,  the  hira  zogan,  the  kata  ki?ij>'bvri,  and 
many  others ;  doting  on  his  labour  pf  l&va,  rbtu'fcn"'- 
ing  a  hundred  times  to  the  same  detail,  putting  his 
whole  soul  into  his  art,  if  so  he  might  attain  unto  per- 
fection and  to  the  very  inmost  heart  of  the  subject ! 

And  what  a  triumph  when  there  at  last  appears  on 
this  dead  wood  the  velvety  complexion  of  the  moss 
dotted  with  red  lacquer  like  small  drops  of  blood  ; 
when  the  gray  bark  assumes  such  a  look  of  dryness 
that  you  feel  inclined  to  crumble  it  ;  when  tiny  in- 
sects in  corselet  of  gold  or  of  iron,  of  unimaginable 
tenuity,  seem  to  live  and  to  move,  to  be  in  the  act 
of  flying  away. 

He  never  attains  satisfaction,  but  ceaselessly  finds 
something  to  perfect,  something  to  add.  It  is  im- 
possible to  detail  the  manifold  operations  to  which 
he  subjects  his  work — niello,  dressings  with  sulphur, 
polishings  with  impalpable  powder,  washing  with 
plum  vinegar,  heatings  demanding  incredible  precau- 
tions— in  order  to  arrive  at  the  masterpiece  which 
the  artist  will  sign  with  the  woful  presentiment  of  a 
near  separation. 

Sheathed  first  in  a  silk  case,  then  committed  to  a 
box  of  his  own  making,  a  nest  tenderly  prepared  by 


tO2    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

his  own  hands :  so  is  it  that  the  precious  object  of 
his  cares  will  be  presented  to  the  lord  that  com- 
manded it  of  him. 

The  artist  will  now  address  himself  to  carry  it 
home,-'  6lad  in  his  finest  habits,  deeming  it  impos- 
sible therebyto  do  too  much  honour  to  the  work  of 
art  that  has  proceeded  from  his  hands.  In  this  he 
acts  in  the  same  spirit  as  the  master-armourers 
when  they  don  their  best  clothes  to  give  the  last 
touch  to  their  celebrated  blades. 

But  that  wherein  the  Japanese  artist  specially 
excels  are  the  minute  objects  of  which  we  have 
already  spoken — the  netzkts,  sabre-guards,  menukis, 
chiselled,  perforated,  sunk ;  they  are  pure  marvels. 
The  one  set  form  veritable  pictures  representing 
personages,  flowers,  landscapes ;  the  others  are 
animals,  insects,  etc. 

The  whole  history  of  Japan  might  be  read  therein, 
by  piecing  them  all  together,  so  much  has  the 
genius  of  its  artists  given  itself  free  scope  in  that 
direction. 

So  in  former  days  were  such  things  done.  It  is 
not  credible,  however,  that  the  objects  now  delivered 
for  the  European  market  should  be  executed  with 
so  much  fidelity  and  pains. 

Japan,  in  opening  its  doors  to  the  stranger,  has 
entered  upon  mercantile  traffic  for  ever  incompatible 
with  pure  art. 


Metal.  103 


What  the  present  day  demands  are  hastily  made 
and  cheap  products,  wherein  quality  is  sacrificed 
to  quantity. 

The  tradition  of  better  times  still  abides,  however, 
in  Japan ;  and  in  all  the  huge  stock  despatched  to 
us  may  be  recognised  processes  and  formulas  that 
smack  of  a  flavour  other  than  the  general  common- 
place. 

No  work  whatever  of  these  workmen  is  ever  vul- 
gar. So  much  is  the  sense  of  art  engrained  in  that 
people  that  everything  proceeding  from  their  hands 
shows  the  special  stamp  of  grace  and  distinction. 


7>  \f\  Q'r  *  s~  l// 

W  \VJ^)(  yy// 


^A«V 


CERAMICS. 

JAPANESE  pottery  has  its  peculiar  place  in  the 
history  of  ceramics ;  and  no  one  will  think  of 
disputing  its  right  to  the  first  rank. 

Chinese  porcelains  alone  can  compete  with  Japan- 
ese, for  indeed  certain  of  the  China  colours  are 
inimitable — imperial  yellow,  ruby,  sang  de  bceuf, 
crushed  strawberry,  peach  bloom,  moonlight  blue, 
camellia  green,  green  apple. 

But  in  the  totality  of  the  ceramic  art  the  Chinese 
cannot  maintain  comparison  with  the  Japanese,  who 
from  pupils  have  become  masters  of  the  Chinese,  in 
this  province,  as  in  all  others  relating  to  art. 

Japan  possesses  three  well  discriminated  sorts  of 
ceramic  products : 

ist.  Faience,  composed  of  kaolin,  the  glaze  of 
which  comprises  divers  metals  mixed  with  lye. 

104 


Ceramics.  105 


2d.  Gray  potteries,  made  from  a  hard  clay,  some- 
times overlaid  with  glaze. 

3d.  Porcelain,  composed  of  silica  more  or  less 
pure,  quartz,  felsite,  felspar,  pulverised  granite. 
Ingredients  in  the  glaze  are  silica,  lye,  and  various 
metals.  They  are  decorated  with  gold,  silver,  lead, 
tin,  copper,  chloride  of  gold,  oxide  of  iron,  etc. 

The  most  ancient  porcelains  seem  to  be  those  of 
Owari.  They  are  mentioned  as  early  as  A.D.  920. 

The  porcelains  of  Seto,  in  the  same  province,  date 
from  the  thirteenth  century.  A  Japanese  went  to 
study  the  porcelain  manufacture  in  China.  He 
afterwards  settled  in  the  province  of  Owari,  where 
he  introduced  the  elements  of  an  art  which  he 
improved  and  modified.  This  industry  was  per- 
petuated in  the  family,  the  head  of  which,  Kichi- 
gaemon,  about  the  year  1800,  was  desirous  of 
becoming  acquainted  with  the  methods  employed 
at  Arita.  But  the  potters  of  that  country  withheld 
from  him  the  information  he  wanted. 

Thereupon  Kata  Kichigaemon  despatched  his 
brother,  named  Tamikichi,  on  the  same  errand.  In 
order  to  achieve  his  ends  Tamikichi  married  the 
widow  of  a  workman  of  Arita. 

At  the  end  of  four  years,  having  learned  all  that 
he  wanted  to  know,  he  made  his  escape  and  returned 
to  Owari.  There  he  gathered  about  him  some 
clever  pupils  and  set  himself  to  the  manufacture 


io6    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

of  porcelains  called  Somet-Suke,  which  had  a  great 
success. 

He  turned  out  large  plates  of  blue  porcelain. 
Owari  is  still  the  only  place  in  Japan  where  articles 
of  that  magnitude  can  be  manufactured. 

The  porcelains  of  Mino  scarcely  differ  from  those  of 
Seto.  The  same  processes  are  followed  in  both  places. 

It  was  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century 
that  a  Japanese,  named  Gorodayu  Shonsui,  brought 
back  from  Foochow,  in  China,  the  secret  of  porce- 
lain, as  he  also  brought  with  him  all  the  ingredients 
necessary  for  its  manufacture. 

He  constructed  furnaces  in  the  province  of  Hizen, 
and  limited  his  operations  to  the  making  of  white 
and  blue  porcelain — overlaid  with  glaze.  But, 
obliged  to  be  very  economical  of  the  products  he 
had  brought  with  him,  he  could  make  pieces  only  of 
small  size. 

This  industry  was,  however,  hampered  in  its 
development  till  a  Corean,  named  Risampei,  con- 
ducted to  Japan  by  a  Japanese  general, -found  in 
the  mountains  the  felspar  that  was  wanted  for  the 
manufacture  of  this  kind  of  porcelain,  which  was 
accordingly  thereupon  imitated,  and  the  production 
maintained  and  modified  by  the  factories  of  Kame- 
yama  and  of  Imari. 

It  was,  however,  not  till  a  much  later  period  that 
the  manufacture  was  established  at  the  last-named 


Ceramics.  107 


place.  An  inhabitant  of  this  province,  Higashi 
Jima,  and  one  of  his  compatriots,  Gesu  Gombe, 
gave  themselves  up  to  a  series  of  experiments  issuing 
in  the  most  satisfactory  results.  Good  luck  later  on 
came  to  the  aid  of  the  manufacturer,  and  led  to  the 
discovery  of  a  process  giving  a  more  perfect  baking. 

In  1/70  a  manufacturer  observed  on  withdrawing 
the  porcelains  from  the  furnace  that  several  pieces 
were  stuck  together. 

He  detached  with  care  that  one  which  was  in  the 
middle,  and  found  it  admirably  baked  and  lustrous. 

Thenceforward,  in  order  to  bake  the  fine  pieces, 
he  enclosed  them  in  jars  furnished  with  lids,  her- 
metically sealed  by  a  layer  of  glaze.  This  method 
is  employed  down  to  the  present  day. 

The  porcelain  decorated  over  the  glaze  was  im- 
ported from  China  by  Tokuzay£mon  in  1650,  and 
improved  by  Kakiyemon,  whose  coloured  enamels 
have  not  since  been  surpassed.  Their  soft  tints — blue, 
lilac,  pale  green,  and  dull  red — produce,  upon  a  back- 
ground of  milk-white,  delightfully  soft  harmonies. 

The  quality  of  the  paste,  that  yields  to  the  snap 
of  a  finger  the  ring  of  a  fine  bell,  add  intrinsically  to 
the  artistic  value  of  these  products. 

The  Eiraku  yaki  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
porcelains  of  Kioto.  It  was  invented  by  Zingoro 


io8    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Riozen,  whose  ancestors  were  potters  for  ten 
generations. 

When  Riozen  hit  upon  the  plan  of  imitating  the 
ancient  ceramic  products  of  the  Chinese  and  Japan- 
ese, Prince  Kishu,  in  admiration  of  the  splendid 
results  obtained,  gave  them  the  name  of  Eiraku,  a 
name  which  thereupon  Riozen  adopted  as  the  family 
name.  Yaki  means  porcelain  or  faience. 

Potteries  coloured  by  red  oxide  of  iron  and  orna- 
mented with  designs  in  the  ancient  style  in  gold 
have  acquired  an  unrivalled  reputation.  Riozen 
called  them  Eiraku  kinrandd,  because  of  their 
resemblance  in  brilliancy  and  lustre  to  the  gold 
brocade  named  kinran. 

The  factories  of  Kiyomidzu  and  of  Goyo  have 
since  1800  acquired  a  great  reputation.  Before  that 
epoch,  the  potteries  turned  out  were  rather  coarse, 
pretty  nearly  the  same  processes  being  applied  as  at 
Seto,  province  of  Owari. 

The  principal  products  are  tea-pots,  cups,  bowls, 
saucers,  etc. 

There  are  at  present  fifteen  furnaces  at  Goyo  and 
six  at  Kiyomidzu. 

The  porcelains  of  Mino  are  made  in  many  villages 
of  the  district  of  Toki.  The  manufacture  at  Tajima 
is  the  most  important.  Here  they  make  chiefly 


Ceramics.  109 


flower-vases  and  bottles.    The  processes  are  the  same 
,  as  those  of  Seto  ;  it  is  only  blue  porcelains  that  are 
produced. 

From  the  province  of  Hirado  in  the  last  cen- 
tury came  the  most  beautiful  little  figures  in 
white  porcelain  that  are  known.  Kutani  is  a 
village  in  the  province  of  Kaga,  which  has  given 
its  name  to  the  gilded  porcelain  on  a  background 
of  red,  with  which  the  European  market  is  inun- 
dated, and  the  invention  of  which  does  not  date 
beyond  1814. 

Kutani  is  situated  on  a  high  mountain  covered 
with  snow  throughout  a  part  of  the  year,  greatly 
impeding  communication  and  transport. 

About  1878,  a  workman  of  the  family  of  Eiraku 
came  to  Kutani,  where  he  introduced  their  mode  of 
decoration.  Thenceforth  there  was  a  notable  im- 
provement in  design,  in  ornament,  and  lustre  of 
colouring. 

From  this  time  very  brilliant  gold  leaf  was  applied 
upon  a  clear  red  ground.  Previously  the  red  was 
darker,  and  gold  powder  was  used. 

This  new  product  has  already  given  rise  to  numer- 
ous counterfeits  of  an  inferior  kind  and  betokening  a 
less  elevated  art. 

In  1650  a  samurai  (officer)  of  the  clan  of  Daishoji 
(province  of  Kaga)  imported  from  China  the  proces- 


1 10   Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

ses  there  in  operation  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
porcelain. 

There  is  indeed  a  marked  likeness  between  the  blue, 
green,  and  red  products  of  this  period  and  those  of 
the  Chinese.  In  the  process  of  time  the  decoration 
was  improved  by  the  application  of  dark  green, 
mauve,  and  pure  yellow. 

In  1658  Prince  Mayedo  ordered  of  Saijiro  a  num- 
ber of  little  wares  decorated  in  red,  green,  yellow, 
violet,  gold,  and  silver.  This  dates  a  point  of  de- 
parture in  the  history  of  a  celebrated  manufacture 
that  owed  its  development  to  the  discovery  of  a 
loam  suitable  thereto.  After  attaining  a  flourishing 
eminence  in  the  seventeenth  century  it  suffered  a 
marked  decline  in  the  eighteenth. 

In  1800,  Yoshidoya  undertook  the  task  of  reviving 
this  industry.  He  founded  a  pottery  at  Yamashiro- 
mura,  in  which  were  embodied  the  best  processes  of 
the  origin  of  the  art. 

Yoshidoya  conceived  the  happy  idea  of  setting  up 
his  new  factory  in  the  plain,  an  example,  that  was 
quickly  followed.  A  great  number  of  such  factories 
may  be  counted  in  the  districts  of  Yenuma  and 
Nomi.  But  the  chief  materials  are  drawn  from 
Kutani. 

The  principal  Japanese  factories  of  faience  after 
the  above  are  those  of  Satsuma,  Awata,  Raku,  Shi- 


Ceramics.  ill 


garaki,  Soma  (with  the  arms  of  the  Prince  of  Soma — 
a  runaway  horse),  Takatori,  Banko,  Yatsushiro, 
Kinko  Zan  (blue  enamel),  Toyosuk£  (brown  with 
white  reliefs),  Oribe  (with  brilliant  colours),  Bizen 
(blue  and  white). 

The  faience  of  Satsuma  owes  its  origin  to  the 
prince  of  this  name  who  went  to  fight  the  Coreans 
about  1592. 

Charmed  by  the  ceramic  products  of  that  country, 
he  brought  back  with  him,  in  1598,  seventeen  potters 
emeriti,  whom  he  installed  in  his  province  and  in 
that  of  Osumi.  Later,  he  set  them  up  at  Naeshiro 
Gawa,  there  to  practise  their  industry. 

Marrying  none  but  their  own  countrywomen, 
these  workmen  lived  for  a  long  time  as  a  little  peo- 
ple by  themselves,  with  a  distinct  tongue,  manners, 
and  type  of  their  own. 

At  present  there  are  in  that  quarter  five  hundred 
families,  making  a  total  of  one  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty  individuals,  all  carrying  on  the  trade 
of  their  ancestors. 

In  1630  one  of  these  potters,  Boku  Zeigo,  discov- 
ered shiro  tsuchi  (white  earth)  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
pottery.  This  important  event  sensibly  improved 
the  manufacture.  From  that  moment  the  use  of 
gold,  silver,  and  colouring  materials  for  decoration 
became  general. 


1  1  2    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 


faience  is  of  marvellous  purity  ;  the  base 
colour  is  cream,  with  a  fine  crackle,  and  a  paste  as 
close  as  ivory,  gilded,  and  enamelled  with  brilliant 
colours.  Unfortunately  it  is  now  reproduced  in  slip- 
slop quantities  by  the  manufacturers  of  Kioto. 

The  faience  manufacture  of  Awata  is  exclusively 
in  the  hands  of  ten  families,  who  in  the  decoration 
and  composition  of  the  glaze  have  followed  the 
processes  of  their  ancestors. 

Only  one  of  these  potters,  Tanza  Rokuro,  has 
broken  through  the  traditional  rule  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  porcelain. 

The  faience  of  Raku  goes  back  to  1550.  At  this 
epoch  a  Corean,  named  Amaya,  went  and  estab- 
lished himself  to  Kioto.  He  became  naturalised  and 
changed  his  name  to  that  of  Sasaki  Sokei  ;  his  son 
Tanaka  Chojiro  succeeded  him. 

In  1580,  however,  his  great-grandson,  named  Kich- 
izai£mon,  received  from  a  grand  personage  a  gold  seal 
bearing  the  mark  Raku,  which  signifies  joy,  pleasure. 
In  giving  him  this  present  his  patron  laid  on  him  the 
duty  of  affixing  it  to  each  piece  of  his  workmanship. 

In  consequence  of  this  order  the  products  of  this 
manufactory  took  the  name  of  Raku  yaki. 

These  products  have  undergone  no  modification 
from  the  time  of  their  invention  down  to  our  day. 
Eleven  generations  of  potters  have  transmitted  them 
to  us  in  all  their  purity. 


Ceramics.  113 


The  Chajins  or  Tcha-jin  prefer  them  because  of 
their  beauty  and  elegance.  Being  very  delicate, 
they  impart  an  agreeable  sensation  to  the  lips,  and 
have  the  property  of  keeping  the  heat  for  a  long 
time.  Although  in  Raku  all  sorts  of  faience  are 
manufactured,  the  principal  products  are  cups  and 
teapots. 

Banko  yaki  is  a  gray  pottery  of  ferruginous  paste, 
dating  back  to  1680.  A  potter  named  Banko 
Kichibe  set  up  at  Komiime  (Tokio)  a  branch  of 
his  porcelain  manufactory  of  Kutani.  Thence  were 
turned  out  fairly  beautiful  productions,  recalling 
the  faience  of  Satsuma  in  respect  of  paste  and  of 
decoration. 

This  pottery  died  out.  In  1840,  however,  a  potter 
of  Komaki,  Yusetsii,  a  native  of  the  province  of  Yse, 
settled  there  and  engaged  in  the  production  of  a 
new  kind  of  gray  pottery  with  ferruginous  paste,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  the  ancient  manufacture. 

He  met  with  success  and  persevered.  His  pro- 
ducts, some  with,  some  without,  glaze,  are  for  the 
most  part  teapots,  cups,  and  other  articles  of  com- 
mon use.  They  are  greatly  appreciated  for  their 
delicacy. 

But  the  most  curious  articles  are  marbled  pieces, 
obtained  by  a  mixture  of  brown  and  of  white 
clays,  recently  discovered.  Others  again,  of  a  violet 


1 1 


4    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 


brown,  with  incrusted  white  characters  and  designs, 
are  obtained  by  the  employment  of  a  very  great 
variety  of  enamels. 

The  Dutch,  who  during  the  last  two  centuries 
enjoyed  the  exclusive  privilege  of  trading  with 
Japan,  brought  from  this  market — especially  ceramic 
products  as  objects  of  art  numerous  specimens  from 
Imari,  Arita,  Bizen,  Owari,  Satsuma,  Kioto,  Kutani, 
to  cite  only  the  most  celebrated. 

But  they  lent  themselves  to  the  production  of 
singular  counterfeits  ;  they  sent  to  the  isle  of  D£cima, 
where  their  compatriots  were  quartered  under  close 
surveillance,  whole  services  in  white  porcelain  for 
the  Japanese  to  decorate,  which  afterwards  found 
their  way  back  to  Europe. 

THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN. 

IMARI  PORCELAIN. — All  the  primary  ingredients 
are  pulverised  in  stone  mortars  with  a  swing  pestle 
of  the  most  ingenious  contrivance. 

It  is  set  up  at  the  edge  of  a  little  watercourse, 
and  is  composed  of  a  long  horizontal  beam,  one  end 
of  which  is  covered  with  an  iron  sheathing  intended 
for  crushing  the  materials,  while  the  other  supports 
a  bucket. 

Thanks  to  the  movement  of  the  swing,  the  bucket 
fills  with  water  and  empties  alternately.  When 


Ceramics.  115 


full,  its  weight  lifts  the  pestle,  which,  in  falling, 
pounds  to  powder  the  contents  of  the  mortar. 

The  materials  when  pulverised  are  first  sifted 
then  subjected  anew  to  the  action  of  the  pestle 
and  so  over  again  until  the  requisite  degree  of 
fineness  is  obtained. 

They  are  then  placed  in  a  receiver,  water  is  poured 
over  the  composition,  the  mixture  is  stirred,  then  it 
is  allowed  to  rest,  and  decanted.  This  paste  is  dried 
on  furnaces  to  give  it  the  necessary  consistency,  then 
it  is  cut  in  pieces  to  be  wrought. 

Next,  the  workman  takes  a  portion  of  the  paste, 
places  it  on  a  table,  and  kneads  it  with  both 
hands.  He  thus  gives  it  the  shape  of  a  ball,  which 
thereupon  he  places  on  a  turning  lathe  worked 
by  a  pedal.  Having  given  to  the  block  the  de- 
sired form,  he  places  it  upon  a  small  board  in  the 
sun  to  dry. 

He  then  replaces  the  object  on  the  turning-lathe, 
bringing  it  to  the  required  thickness  by  means  of  a 
small  knife ;  wipes  it  carefully  with  a  wet  cloth,  lays 
over  it  a  thin  coating  or  slip,  and  introduces  it  into 
a  biscuit  furnace. 

The  biscuit  furnace  is  brought  to  a  temperature  a 
third  of  that  of  furnaces  at  full  heat. 

After  this  first  baking,  the  object  is  decorated  and 
glazed,  then  placed  in  an  ordinary  furnace  to  bake 
twelve  hours. 


1 1 6    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

When  it  has  been  satisfactorily  determined  that 
the  baking  has  gone  far  enough,  the  oven  is  closed 
up  and  allowed  to  cool  for  three  complete  days  in 
the  case  of  small  ware,  and  six  or  seven  in  the  case 
of  larger. 

In  order  to  feed  the  furnace,  care  must  be  taken 
in  shutting  it  to  leave  a  little  hole  for  the  admission 
of  billets  of  wood  of  equal  length  and  thickness. 
Eighteen  thousand  of  them  are  burned  every  twelve 
hours.  For  the  first  five  hours  the  fire  is  kept  mod- 
erate, but  the  combustion  is  pushed  on  at  a  great 
rate  throughout  the  succeeding  hours. 

The  baking  over,  a  piece  is  withdrawn  from  the 
furnace  and  plunged  into  cold  water,  in  order  to  test 
its  vitrification.  If  the  baking  is  found  to  be  suffi- 
cient, the  furnace  is  closed  and  allowed  to  cool  as 
aforesaid. 

How  THE  GLAZE  is  PREPARED — The  glaze  is 
composed  of  white  clay,  mixed  with  water  and  of 
the  ashes  of  Distylium  racemosum,  of  which  the  best 
variety  comes  from  the  provinces  of  Satsuma,  Hiuga, 
and  Higo. 

The  ashes  are  then  spread  out  on  the  ground  ;  in 
the  centre  is  put  a  certain  quantity  of  charcoal, 
which  is  next  lighted  and  covered  with  those  ashes 
until  the  combustion  is  complete.  This  operation 
lasts  two  days.  The  residue,  having  been  cooled,  is 
thrown  into  water  and  then  sifted. 


Ceramics.  \  1 7 


Thereafter  the  white  clay,  pulverised,  is  dissolved 
in  a  vessel  of  water,  and  the  ashes  in  another.  A 
bit  of  biscuit  is  then  steeped  in  each  of  these  solu- 
tions, and  on  it  gathers  a  more  or  less  thick  deposit. 
Should  this  deposit  be  of  equal  thickness  on  each  of 
the  two  bits,  the  mixing  process  is  then  taken  in 
hand. 

If  a  green  glaze  is  wanted,  forty  per  cent,  of  oxide 
of  cobalt  is  added. 

There  are  two  qualities  of  oxide  of  cobalt — the 
better  sort  green,  the  inferior  brown.  A  paste  is 
made  by  mixing  it,  after  reducing  it  to  powder,  with 
an  infusion  of  tea.  It  is  then  thoroughly  diluted 
with  water,  left  to  itself  for  three  hours,  and  a  pre- 
cipitate is  obtained  by  means  of  sulphate  of  mag- 
nesia. After  a  final  washing  in  plenty  of  water,  the 
product  is  ready  for  use. 

KUTANI  PORCELAIN.— The  primary  materials- 
stone  of  Kutani,  of  Gokoji,  and  of  Susutani — are 
crushed  with  a  swinging  pestle. 

The  powder  is  left  in  water,  drained,  and  ground 
anew  between  the  millstones.  It  is  then,  after 
being  strained  through  a  silk  sieve,  put  back  into 
the  water,  where  it  is  left  to  itself  for  two  or  three 
days. 

It  is  next  dried  in  the  sun,  made  into  a  paste,  and 
thereupon  worked  in  the  manner  aforesaid. 


1 1 8    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

The  glaze  is  composed  of  the  ashes  of  Distylium 
racemosum  and  Kutani  stone. 

The  decorative  processes  consist  in  putting  the 
different  colours  on  the  white  pieces,  which  for  nine 
hours  are  subjected  to  the  action  of  a  pine  fire. 
They  are  then  allowed  to  cool,  decorated  with  gold, 
and  anew  subjected  to  the  baking  process.  Lastly, 
this  gold  is  polished,  at  first  with  bran,  then  with 
steel. 

The  Kutani  manufacture  employs  more  than  four 
thousand  workmen. 

GOLD  AND  SILVER  POWDERS — First  Method— 
The  metals  are  beaten,  and  reduced  to  excessively 
fine  leaves  ;  they  are  then  pulverised,  being  mixed 
for  seven  days  with  powder  of  lead. 

When  required  for  use,  the  whole  is  mixed  with 
liquid  glue  and  then  pounded. 

Second  Method. — Dissolve,  in  six  parts  of  nitro- 
muriatic  acid,  one  part  of  pure  gold,  and  add  a  hun- 
dred parts  of  distilled  water.  Pour  into  this  solution 
some  liquefied  sulphate  of  iron,  and  the  gold  is 
reduced  to  a  powder  and  precipitates. 

It  is  allowed  to  rest,  the  water  is  withdrawn,  and 
the  deposit  is  washed  several  times  with  lukewarm 
water,  and  then  two  or  three  times  with  cold  ;  finally 
the  powder  is  dried  to  keep  it.  When  about  to  be 
used,  it  is  mixed  with  a  liquid  glue. 


Ceramics.  1 19 


The  same  process  is  followed  in  the  case  of  silver, 
except  that  pure  nitric  acid  is  used  instead  of  nitro- 
muriatic  acid. 

When  these  powders  are  used  in  the  decora- 
tion of  faience,  there  is  added  a  small  quantity 
of  bar  use.  (?)  In  this  last  case,  moreover,  only 
powders  of  gold  and  of  silver  of  the  first  quality 
are  available  ;  otherwise,  the  baking  being  very  long 
and  the  fire  intense,  the  effect  would  be  considera- 
bly lessened. 

PORCELAINS  OF  EIRAKU,  OF  KIYOMIDZU,  AND 
OF  GOYO. — For  these  three  kinds  of  porcelain  the 
processes  of  manufacture  are  the  same. 

Commence  by  crushing  with  iron  mallets  the 
blocks  of  stone,  from  which  have  been  removed 
foreign  ingredients.  Pound  anew,  pass  through  a 
riddle,  and  cast  this  powder  into  water,  there  to 
remain  three  days.  It  is  then  passed  ten  times 
under  a  millstone,  and  the  powder,  when  fine 
enough,  is  thrown  into  water,  stirred,  dried,  and 
strained  through  a  silk  sieve. 

The  residue  is  likewise  kept  as  serviceable  for 
other  purposes. 

This  powder  is  mixed  either  with  one  tenth  of 
Shigaraki  earth  for  the  finest  porcelains,  which  yet, 
however,  cannot  resist  a  fierce  heat ;  or,  with  three 
tenths  of  Shigaraki  earth,  which  gives  a  superior 


1 20    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

quality  of   porcelain ;    or  with  a  half   of  Shigaraki 
earth,  which  gives  a  common  quality  of  porcelain. 

When  the  vitrifaction  of  the  powder  is  effected 
with  difficulty,  there  is  added  a  little  of  the  ashes  of 
Distylium  racenwsum.  This  mixture  requires  much 
care ;  it  is  passed  fifteen  times  under  the  millstones, 
then  strained  through  a  silk  sieve,  and  finally 
kneaded  and  made  into  balls. 

MOULDING. — The  balls  of  paste  are  placed  on 
the  lathe,  set  in  motion  by  the  right  hand  ;  with 
the  left  hand  the  worker  prescribes  the  size  and  the 
thickness  of  the  piece,  cuts  its  base  by  means  of  a 
thread,  and  places  it  upon  a  stand.  In  this  way  he 
can  make  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  per  day,  according 
to  the  different  sizes. 

They  are  dried  in  the  open  air,  then  in  a  room. 
Certain  objects  need  to  be  afterwards  adjusted  with 
a  knife  :  for  example,  the  tea-cup.  It  is  reversed 
upon  the  lathe,  held  by  a  support,  and  the  potter 
cuts  the  bottom  in  relief. 

Pieces  not  circular  are  shaped  by  means'of  wooden 
moulds.  When  the  pieces  are  very  large,  the  lathe 
is  turned  with  the  foot,  in  order  to  leave  both 
hands  free. 

Awatd,  faience  is  moulded  in  the  same  way. 

In  the  case  however  of  the  porcelains  of  Kiyo- 
midzu,  there  are  employed,  besides  the  lathe,  wooden 


Ceramics.  1 2 1 


and  biscuit  moulds.  The  biscuit  moulds  are  in  relief 
or  sunken. 

The  moulded  articles  are  made  in  two  pieces, 
which  are  afterwards  joined  together.  The  knobs 
and  spouts  of  the  teapots  are  made  in  the  mould 
when  they  are  ornamented  with  designs. 

The  articles  lose  twelve  per  cent,  of  their  volume 
in  baking. 

The  luting,  joining  the  different  parts  together,  is 
made  of  porcelain  paste  softened  with  water. 

The  wooden  moulds  are  made  of  small  movable 
boards  jointed  one  into  another.  The  sides  and  the 
bottom  of  the  mould  are  covered  with  linen,  then  the 
paste  is  introduced  in  sheets,  care  being  exercised  to 
make  it  take  the  exact  form  of  the  mould.  At  the 
end  of  a  given  time  it  can  be  removed.  Sometimes 
the  place  of  the  linen  is  taken  by  the  powder  of 
Pueraria  Thumbergiana. 

Moulds  may,  however,  be  dispensed  with  in  two 
different  ways:  1st,  by  placing  the  plate  of  paste  on 
a  linen  cloth  and  moulding  it  by  the  hand  ;  2d,  by 
cutting  out  the  pieces,  which  are  then  joined  together 
in  the  same  way  as  are  the  different  sides  of  a  mould, 
i.e.,  by  moistening  the  edges  of  the  various  parts. 

This  last  process  is  attended  with  inconvenience; 
the  pieces  so  made  easily  break  whilst  baking. 

The  small  pieces,  representing  animals  and  other 
minute  objects  are  made  by  the  hand  and  in  one 


1 2  2    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

single  lot.     They  are  placed  upon  a  linen  cloth  to 
hinder  them  from  sticking  together. 


THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  FAIENCE. 

SATSUMA  FAIENCE.  —  The  primary  ingredients 
(earths,  stones,  and  sands  of  different  origins)  are 
divided  into  three  categories,  according  to  their 
quality.  The  first  category  serves  for  the  Nishikide 
manufacture  (faience  of  a  very  great  value). 

The  materials  are  crushed,  sifted,  steeped  in  water, 
and  strained  anew  through  a  very  fine  silk  sieve. 
This  operation  is  repeated  a  great  number  of  times 
until  the  powder  is  reduced  to  an  almost  impalpable 
fineness.  Then  it  is  dried  on  small  boards. 

One  proceeds  in  the  same  way,  but  with  less  punc- 
tiliousness in  the  case  of  the  second  and  the  third 
quality. 

The  glaze  is  made  of  the  white  stone  of  Kaseda, 
which,  having  been  pulverised,  is  mixed  with  the 
ashes  of  Ilex  crenata^  of  Queceus  crispula,  and  of 
other  very  hard  woods. 

When  the  powder  has  acquired  the  smoothness 
required,  it  is  made  into  a  paste  by  mixing  it  with 
water.  It  is  then  put  on  a  table  and  beaten  three 
thousand  times  with  wooden  mallets.  It  is  next 
enclosed  in  a  vessel  or  box  hermetically  closed,  where 
it  is  left  for  fifty  days,  after  which  it  is  beaten  anew. 


Ceramics. 


123 


It   is   beaten   again   before   the    moulding   is    taken 
in  hand. 

This  paste  improves  with  age. 

CONSTRUCTION   OF  THE  OVENS. — They  are    of 
Corean  origin  and  defective  enough.     The  founda- 


MANUFACTURING   FAIENCE. 

tions  are  in  brick,  the  rest  in  clay.  The  fore  part  is 
less  raised  than  the  other,  and  furnished  moreover 
with  an  orifice  serving  as  fireplace.  On  each  side 
are  holes  by  which  the  fire  is  fed. 

The  fire  is  lighted  in   the  fireplace   and   kept  up 
through  the  holes  at  the  sides. 


1 24    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

This  mode  of  feeding  the  fire  leaves  a  good  deal 
to  be  desired,  for  thereby  one  runs  the  risk  of  upset- 
ting the  objects  or  of  soiling  them  with  the  ashes  ; 
and,  lastly,  it  does  not  allow  of  an  equal  temperature 
being  maintained. 

Aw  ATA  FAIENCE. — As  always,  the  balls  of  earth 
are  pulverised,  then  passed  through  ten  sieves  of 
graduated  fineness  up  to  the  silk  sieve.  The  powder 
is  allowed  to  remain  in  the  water  for  two  hours ;  it 
is  stirred,  and  water  gently  poured  over  it,  so  as  to 
make  the  water  overflow  from  the  first  vessel  into  a 
series  of  five  others,  placed,  each  following  one  lower 
than  the  preceding,  and  communicating  with  one 
another  by  means  of  tubes. 

This  operation  lasts  twelve  hours,  and  yields  three 
different  qualities  of  earth.  The  best  is  held  in  the 
fourth  vessel  and  the  poorest  quality  in  the  second. 

Each  quality  is  then  turned  into  a  huge  vat,  where 
it  rests  in  water  for  five  or  six  days.  Once  dried,  it 
is  distributed  into  lots  that  are  placed  upon  tables, 
where,  while  still  humid,  it  is  beaten  with  wooden 
mallets,  rolled,  again  beaten,  and  so  over  again  three 
times  running. 

Afterwards  it  is  formed  into  balls,  which  are  placed 
in  a  humid  situation  away  from  the  air.  When  wanted 
for  use  it  is  kneaded  anew.  To  obtain  a  perfect  re- 
sult a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  much  skill  are  needed. 


Ceramics.  125 


The  process  of  moulding  is  the  same  as  in  the  case 
of  porcelains  of  Eiraku. 

BAKING. — The  biscuit  ovens  are  generally  isolated, 
or,  at  least,  so  placed  that  the  flames  of  the  one 
cannot  reach  those  of  the  other.  The  circular  form 
is  the  most  common  ;  the  oven  has  no  vault  and  but 
one  fireplace  ;  the  inferior  part  at  the  back  is  sloping, 
in  order  that  the  flame  can  run  the  entire  length. 

The  baking  requires  great  attention,  punctilious 
and  skilled  care.  The  best  woods  for  heating  are 
pines  of  from  seventy-five  to  a  hundred  and  fifty 
years  old,  kept  for  two  years  in  the  woodyard. 

It  is  necessary  to  begin  with  a  slow  fire  that  is 
gradually  quickened,  just  as  in  the  same  way  the 
oven  has  to  be  cooled  little  by  little,  if  one  would 
avoid  the  risk  of  cracks  coming  to  light. 

The  baking  takes  on  an  average  from  twelve  to 
fourteen  hours,  but  the  time  varies  according  to  the 
size  of  the  pieces. 

After  being  decorated  and  glazed,  the  articles  are 
baked  at  a  large  fire. 

In  the  construction  of  those  ovens  a  sloping  form 
is  chosen,  otherwise  they  must  be  raised  in  the  form 
of  an  amphitheatre.  There  are  ten  successive  ovens 
communicating  with  one  another.  The  lower  oven 
is  not  counted.  Number  I  contains  the  pieces  of 
inferior  quality  ;  Number  3  those  of  the  first  order ; 


126    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

the  last  ovens  are  used  in  the  baking  of  objects  of 
little  value  and  biscuits. 

It  is  likewise  necessary  to  locate  the  pieces 
according  to  the  degree  of  heat  they  require.  The 
things  of  value  are  placed  in  the  superposed  jars, 
and  upon  their  covers  the  pieces  of  inferior 
quality. 

The  heating  must  'be  carefully  progressive,  and 
observation  must  be  taken  of  the  barometric  and 
thermometric  variations  of  the  atmosphere,  which 
exercise  a  direct  influence  on  the  temperature  of  the 
oven,  etc. 

Pieces  coloured  and  decorated  with  gold  and 
silver  are  baked  in  special  ovens,  called  kingama 

RAKU  FAIENCE. — The  primary  materials  (Aka  and 
Shira — red  and  white  clays)  are  simply  crushed  in 
stone  mortars  with  wooden  pestles,  and  then  passed 
through  copper  wire  and  hair  sieves. 

Ki  (yellow  earth)  is  applied  to  pieces  in  a  liquid 
state,  after  having  been  moulded  with  the  hand  and 
the  knife.  Sometimes  earthen  or  wooden  moulds 
are  used,  but  never  the  lathe. 

GLAZE. — Sekishi  seki,  plumbeous  glass,  and  silica 
are  crushed,  then  milled,  then  the  powder  strained 
through  a  silk  sieve.  Then  proceed  in  the  manner 
already  described. 


Ceramics.  127 


BAKING. — The  ovens  employed  are  similar  to,  but 
smaller  than  those  available  for  Awata  and  Kiyomidzu 
faiences.  The  firewood  is  always  pine.  The  ovens 
used  for  baking  the  coloured  pieces  are  similar  to 
the  kingama  sort.  The  baking  of  black  pottery, 
however,  is  done  by  itself.  A  single  piece  only  is 
baked  in  each  oven,  and  only  charcoal  is  burnt,  com- 
bustion being  promoted  by  a  blowing-machine. 
The  fire  must  be  very  hot,  as  the  baking  lasts  only 
half  an  hour,  and  with  too  low  a  temperature,  the 
colour  would  lose  its  lustre. 

Baking  coloured  pieces  requires  two  hours  of  a 
less  hot  fire. 

Banko  is  a  grey  pottery,  of  ferruginous  paste  re- 
cently invented.  There  are  two  kinds,  one  with, 
and  one  without  engraving.  The  ingredients  neces- 
sary for  this  manufacture  are  drawn  especially  from 
Komuki  and  from  Shinedo,  in  the  province  of  Ise. 

For  the  most  part  cups  and  teapots  are  the  pro- 
ducts of  this  manufactory.  They  are  highly  appreci- 
ated for  their  refined  elegance,  and  are  in  great 
demand. 

To  this  manufacture  we  also  owe,  as  a  more  re- 
cent product,  very  curious  marbled  pieces,  which  by 
their  lustre  and  novelty  make  one  almost  forget  its 
ancient  products. 

These  marblings  are  obtained  by  the  mixture  of 
brown  and  white  clay.  Or,  again,  objects  are 


1 28    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

moulded  in  violet-brown,  in  the  paste  whereof  white 
designs  are  inlaid. 

For  these    decorations,  which  are    susceptible  of 
great  variation,  a  great  range  of  enamels  is  employed. 

SOME   CELEBRATED    MARKS. 


AWATA. 


KUTANI. 


RAKU. 


LIST   OF   PLACES   GIVING    NAMES   TO   CERTAIN 
FICTILE   PRODUCTS. 


Provinces 


Hizen 


es 

Towns 

Provinces 

Towns 

Nagasaki. 
Arita. 

Satsuma  .  .  . 

Naeshirogawa. 
Kyomidzu. 

Imari. 

Kioto  •< 

Awata. 

Karatsti. 

Eiraku. 

Okawachi. 

.  Raku. 

Mikawachi. 

'  Fukakusa. 

Shiraishi 

Uji. 

Shida. 

Fushimi. 

Odashi. 

Mimuro. 

Yoshida. 

Jamashiro  ..  - 

Mibosatsfl. 

Matsugaya 
Kameyama. 
Omura. 

Kinkozan. 
Iwakura  yama. 
Seikanji. 

„  Goyo. 

Ceramics. 


129 


Provinces 

Towns 

Provinces 
Iwaki 

Towns 
Soina 

Owari  ... 

Omi  

f  Seto. 
1    Tokoname. 
1    Inuyama. 
[  Oribe. 
^   Shigaraki. 

Musashi  
Sagami  .... 

STokio. 
Imado. 
Sumida  gawa. 
j  Ota. 
(  Yokohama. 

Mino.... 

'  '    \   Zeze. 
Tajimi. 

Chikugo  .  .  . 

Yanagawa. 

Jamato  . 
Ise 

Koriyama. 
Banko. 

oakai. 
f  Tayo  ura. 

Bizen  .  .  . 

Imbe. 

Nagato  

-j  Matsumoto. 

Higo.... 

Yatsushiro. 

(  Hagi. 

Kaea 

j   Kutani 

Izumo  

(  Matsuye. 

Setsu 

I  Ohi. 
Mito 

Tchikuzln  . 

(  Fuijina. 
Takatori. 

Totomi      > 

Sliidaro 

Awadji  .. 

Iganoraura. 

lea.. 

Uveno. 

TEXTILE  FABRICS. 

SILKWORM  RAISING. 

JAPAN  is  the  country  of  silks.     In  all  times  the 
culture  of   the  mulberry  has  there  been  held 
in  great  honour,  and  as  early  as  the  sixteenth  century 
the   processes  of    manufacturing   silk   textiles   had 
attained  the  highest  degree  of  perfection. 

Silkworm  raising  is  an  industry  extended  over  the 
whole  of  Japan,  and  reaches  back  to  the  remotest 
antiquity.  It  is  divided  into  two  principal  branches 
— one,  that  of  the  production  of  the  eggs ;  the  other, 
that  of  silk-spinning. 

Upon  the  first  depends  the  breed  of  silkworms 
and  the  yield  of  fine  cocoons. 

The  cultivation  of  the  mulberry,  which  thrives 
remarkably  well  in  Japan,  is  also  of  the  greatest 
importance. 

Eggs  of  the  first  quality  are  distinguished  by  their 
size,  by  their  colour,  and  by  the  cleanliness  of  the 
pasteboards. 

130 


Textile  Fabrics.  131 


For  the  hatching  of  the  eggs,  the  boards  are  taken 
out  of  the  boxes  towards  the  2Oth  of  March, 
and  placed  in  a  very  airy  room.  The  hatching  occurs 
ten  days  later,  and  the  worms,  after  being  delicately 
placed  on  a  sheet  of  paper  covered  with  millet,  are 
supplied  with  young  leaves  of  early  mulberry,  hashed 
and  sifted. 

They  should  be  fed  on  an  average  five  times  daily ; 
three  times  a  day  in  damp  weather,  six,  seven,  or 
eight  times  in  hot  or  dry  weather,  when  the  wind 
dries  their  litter. 

Ten  days  after  being  hatched,  they  have  their  first 
sleep.  The  worms  then  take  a  whitish  colour. 

When  they  are  preparing  to  sleep,  a  layer  of  rice 
bran  should  be  spread  on  the  paper  on  which  they 
lie,  and  above  it  a  sort  of  thread  covered  with 
chopped  mulberry  leaves. 

The  following  day,  towards  noon,  the  worms  are 
all  perched  on  the  thread,  which  is  next  cautiously 
shifted  to  another  place,  in  order  to  change  the 
litter.  This  operation  is  repeated  twice  between 
each  sleep,  according  to  the  atmospheric  variations. 

The  next  day  after  their  sleep  only  one  meal  is 
given  to  them.  Thereafter  the  rations  are  increased 
in  accordance  with  certain  rules. 

The  three  sleeps  require  the  same  sort  of  care  ;  the 
one  as  the  other.  Only  at  the  fourth  sleep  must  the 
worms  be  taken  up  by  the  hand,  instead  of  allowing 


132    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

them  to  get  up.  Three  days  after  whole  leaves  are 
given  them. 

When  it  is  observed  that  the  worms  want  to  spin, 
fresh  leaves  must  be  supplied  them  six  or  seven 
times  a  day,  and  even  during  the  night.  When  the 
worms  crawl  up  to  the  edges  of  the  basket,  they  are 
taken  one  by  one  and  put  back  in  their  places.  For 
this  purpose  colza  stalks  are  also  used. 

When  the  worm  has  come  to  maturity,  care  must 
be  taken  to  keep  the  silkworm  nursery  well  aired 
and  cleansed.  Any  want  of  care  in  this  respect 
would  be  very  prejudicial  to  the  health  of  the  worm. 
Six  or  seven  days  after,  the  cocoon  can  be  taken 
away. 

Silkworms  generally  finish  their  cocoon  in  three 
days  ;  on  the  fourth,  their  transformation  into  a 
chrysalis  begins.  At  first  transparent,  they  become 
darker  and  darker.  Then  very  fine  cocoons  are 
selected,  of  regular  form  and  fine  colour.  They  are 
ranged  on  an  ctagere  and  covered  with  a  sheet  of 
paper.  Next  day  the  papilios  get  upon  this  paper, 
where  the  coupling  should  take  place.  Then  they  are 
borne  very  carefully  in  a  basket  covered  with  a  mat. 

Towards  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  males 
are  removed,  and  the  leaves  are  taken  and  placed 
upon  the  final  pasteboard,  which  is  surrounded  with 
a  rim  rubbed  with  oil,  the  object  of  which  is  to 
hinder  the  female  from  going  elsewhere  to  lay. 


Textile  Fabrics.  133 

Each  pasteboard  has  about  from  ninety  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  females.  During  the  whole 
period  of  laying,  a  temperature  of  seventy  to  eighty 
degrees  must  be  maintained.  In  cold  weather  the 
heating  is  kept  up  with  braziers  full  of  glowing 
charcoal. 

The  pasteboards  so  prepared  are  next  suspended 
in  a  very  airy  chamber,  free  from  bad  odours  and 
well  protected  from  rats,  which  are  very  fond  of  these 
eggs. 

In  December  advantage  is  taken  of  a  fine  day, 
first  to  air  and  clean  the  pasteboards,  and  then  to 
put  them  in  boxes  which  are  laid  by  in  a  very 
clean  place  until  the  spring. 

Silk-culture,  so  fastidious  in  itself,  is  further 
embarrassed  by  the  great  number  of  deadly  dis- 
eases liable  to  be  engendered  by  atmospheric 
changes. 

Cold,  heat,  humidity,  dryness,  are  so  many  causes 
of  death,  if,  thanks  to  a  wide  experience  and  special 
intelligence,  one  is  not  at  hand  with  the  appropriate 
remedy. 

The  establishment  of  the  nursery  is  a  thing  of 
great  importance.  In  its  construction  it  is  composed 
of  a  ground  floor,  and  of  a  first  story  with  a  south- 
east exposure.  Half  of  the  ground  floor  is  occupied 
by  the  raiser ;  the  rest  is  used  to  hold  the  mulberry 
leaves. 


134    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

The  breeding  is  done  on  the  first  floor,  which  is 
accessible  by  two  staircases,  and  which  moreover 
communicates  by  a  trapdoor  with  the  lower  floor. 

The  roof  is  composed  of  boards  in  juxtaposition, 
and  covered  with  tiles ;  upon  the  arris  of  this  roof 
is  erected  another. 

Windows  open  on  the  four  sides  for  ventilation. 
Each  one  is  supplied  with  a  spring-roller  blind. 
The  walls  are  in  rough-coated  wood. 

There  are  many  ways  of  killing  the  worms  in 
order  to  unwind  the  cocoons. 

They  may  be  exposed  to  the  sun  between  two 
sheets  of  paper. 

They  may  be  placed  above  boiling  water. 

They  may  be  put  in  a  very  tight  drawer  and  turned 
over  from  time  to  time. 

Finally  camphor  may  be  put  in  the  box  contain- 
ing them. 

The  cocoons  are  unwound  fifty  days  after  their 
formation. 

Until  quite  recent  times,  machinery  being  un- 
known in  Japan,  women  unwound  them  by 
hand.  For  this  operation,  the  cocoons  are  plunged 
into  hot  water  and  agitated  with  little  sticks,  until 
the  silk  becomes  attached  to  them.  Several  cocoons 
are  unwound  at  once,  according  to  the  quality. 
•  Close  by  the  pan  is  a  little  ball  of  human  hair  or 
of  horsehair.  On  this  is  made  to  pass  the  thread 


Textile  Fabrics.  135 


which  is  fastened  to  a  reel  turned  by  the  right  hand. 
This  silk  is  passed  over  a  series  of  winders  of  dif- 
ferent forms  and  dimensions  according  to  the  use 
for  which  it  is  intended. 

There  are  now  steam  spinning-mills  in  Japan. 

The  breeding  of  silkworms  and  the  weaving  of 
certain  ordinary  textile  fabrics  were  known  in  Japan 
as  early  as  the  year  660  before  our  era. 

In  283  A.D.  Corea  sent  thither  two  women  well 
acquainted  with  the  weaving  of  figured  stuffs. 

Then  the  court  took  up  the  new  industry  and 
appointed  a  minister  charged  with  its  surveillance, 
and  with  the  direction  of  the  manufacture  of  the 
fabrics  which  itself  used.  This  caused  great  emula- 
tion and  led  to  rapid  improvements. 

By  the  year  550  A.D.  highly  satisfactory  results 
were  witnessed.  Down  to  this  day  there  are  still  to 
be  seen  in  one  of  the  temples  of  Nara  magnificent 
brocades  dating  from  the  year  750.  As  early  as 
the  sixteenth  century  the  processes  of  manufac- 
ture had  reached  the  highest  degree  of  perfection. 

One  ought  to  read  in  M.  de  Goncourt's  La  Maison 
d'un  Artiste,  the  brilliant  description  of  Japanese 
robes — kimonos — from  the  most  elaborate  down  to 
the  simplest,  adorned  with  stamped  designs,  re- 
peated and  distributed  in  pieces,  whereon  has  been 
exhausted  the  whole  gamut  of  diversified  tones  of 
exquisite  distinction. 


136    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Marvellous  is  the  impression  we  there  receive  of 
dazzling  colours,  of  sumptuous  designs,  figured, 
worked  with  gold  or  silver  wire,  encrusted  with  em- 
broideries, borrowing,  here  from  the  region  of 
dreams,  apparitions,  and  fantastic  dragons,  and 
there  from  nature,  plants,  fishes,  and  animals ;  dis- 
playing landscapes  and  sea  views ;  now  flashing 
before  our  eyes  dazzling  day,  and  now  unveiling 
serene  night, — all  in  decorations  before  which  imagi- 
nation itself  becomes  paralysed. 

We  are  then  instructed  regarding  those  wonderful 
runnings-off  of  tint  melting  one  into  another,  flowing 
from  the  neck  to  the  padded  hem  trailing  on  the 
ground,  and  serving  as  background  to  superb  and 
finished  compositions. 

And  how  much  art  and  erudition  are  lavished  on 
those  broad  girdles  of  the  women — the  obi — on  those 
squares  of  embroidered  stuff,  the  fukusas,  etc. 

It  is  at  Nishijin,  Kioto,  that  fabrics  of  great  value 
are  made,  such  as  the  karaori,  the  yamato,  the 
nishiki,  the  tsuzurcori,  the  donsu,  etc. 

Kirin,  in  the  province  of  Kozuki,  is  one  of  the 
most  ancient  centres  of  this  industry.  After  a  period 
of  decline  this  manufacture  regained  its  prestige 
towards  the  year  1 500,  and  its  production  increases 
every  year. 

Other  manufactories  are  also  celebrated.  We  may 
cite  in  the  province  of  Rikuzen,  that  of  Miadju,  pro- 


CUTTING REELING — PERFUMING IRONING. 


138    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

ducing  the  Seikoori,  Haki  ta  ori ;  in  the  province  of 
Chikuzen,  that  of  Fukuoka,  producing  the  Hakata 
ori ;  in  the  province  of  Omi,  that  of  Nagahama,  pro- 
ducing the  Chirimen ;  in  the  province  of  Yamato, 
those  of  Kito  and  of  Hagi,  producing  delicious 
crepons  called  Kano  Kosi  bori,  etc.,  etc. 

COTTON. — In  the  most  remote  times  the  cotton  of 
Japan  was  known ;  but,  being  badly  cultivated,  this 
plant  disappeared.  In  1550  the  Portuguese  im- 
ported anew  the  seed.  The  cotton  culture  has  since 
spread  and  attained  a  very  great  importance  in  the 
country. 

A  steam  factory  has  recently  been  founded  at 
Sakai,  province  of  Idzumi,  for  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  cloths.  Sixteen  provinces  possess  factories 
for  their  production.  In  addition,  hemp,  boehmeria, 
yields  two  sorts  of  cloth,  specially  manufactured  in 
the  province  of  Echigo. 

The  province  of  Ise  furnishes  a  species — Meji — 
which  is  divided  into  linen  and  cotton. 

The  province  of  Iwaki  produces  esteemed  stuffs 
made  of  cotton  and  paper ;  the  first  serving  as  warp, 
and  the  second  as  woof. 

Textiles  are  also  made  with  the  fibre  of  the  titila 
cordata,  from  which  are  also  got  materials  suitable 
for  the  making  of  cords  ;  and  tissues  are  further 
made  with  the  fibres  of  the  kutzu,  of  the  banana, 


Textile  Fabrics.  139 


with  the  flowers  of  salix,  with  the  fibres  of  the  bark 
of  the  mulberry,  which  enter  into  the  manufacture 
of  mats. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that,  even  in  these  ordinary 
stuffs,  the  design,  if  simple,  is  still  as  artistic  as  in 
costly  fabrics. 

There  are  cotton  textiles  upon  which  the  designs 
are  partly  printed  and  partly  embroidered  in  silk. 
The  effect  is  charming. 

REELING  AND  SCOURING  SILK. — The  quality 
of  the  raw  silks  depend  in  great  part  on  their 
place  of  origin.  For  tissues  of  great  value 
there  is  careful  selection  of  fibre,  neither  too 
hard  nor  too  soft ;  it  must  be  fine,  clean,  and 
brilliant. 

If  for  the  warp  and  the  woof  the  threads  have  to 
be  single,  they  are  dyed  first,  then  reeled.  If  they 
require  to  be  twisted,  they  are  reeled  first,  then  dyed 
and  re-reeled.  If  they  have  to  be  double,  they  are 
dyed,  reeled,  and  doubled. 

If  the  silk  needs  boiling,  it  is  first  reeled,  then 
twisted,  then  boiled,  then  dyed  and  then  re-reeled. 
Once  these  operations  are  over,  the  silk  is  put  on 
spindles  and  on  shuttles. 

Often,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  tissues  to  be 
made,  the  silk  is  impregnated  with  rice  or  seaweed 
glue. 


140    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 


To  scour  the  silk,  it  is  enclosed  in  a  linen  bag  and 
boiled  in  lye.  It  is  then  washed  in  several  waters. 

To  boil  the  stuffs,  they  are  first  left  in  water  for 
twelve  hours,  then  boiled  in  lye,  then  washed,  then 
boiled  afresh,  then  washed  afresh. 

In  certain  cases,  the  raw  silk  is  put  into  a  supple 
leather  sack,  and  beaten  for  an  hour  with  wooden 
mallets.  This  operation  is  called  nayasu. 

The  reeling  consists  in  rolling  the  silk  in  skeins 
after  being  wet  and  dried  on  to  little  bobbins. 

The  twisting  called  katayori,  consists  in  twisting, 
by  means  of  a  reel,  the  raw  silk  which  has  been  al- 
ready once  reeled.  The  twisting  from  left  to  right 
of  a  silk  of  several  strands  is  called  awost-yori,  the 
reverse  twisting  moro-yori,  and  the  more  complicate 
twisting  of  silk  of  many  strands  by  reels  of  different 
dimensions,  hou-yori. 

When  the  thread  which  has  already  undergone 
the  twisting  hou-yori  is  joined  to  another  which 
has  been  twisted  moro-yori,  it  takes  the  name  of 
habe-yori. 

Doubling  consists  in  reeling  upon  a  single  bobbin 
several  strands  already  united  singly  upon  other 
bobbins. 

THE  SETTING  UP  OF  THE  LOOM. — To  set  up 
the  loom,  the  warp  threads  are  first  passed  onto 
the  comb  which  is  then  put  back  in  its  place. 


Textile  Fabrics.  141 


The  "  simple,  "  in  which  the  number  of  strings  is 
proportionate  to  the  warp  threads,  is  arranged  accord- 
ing to  the  designs  traced  on  the  rule  paper.  This 
"  simple  "  is  held  by  a  man  seated  at  the  top  of  the 
loom.  He  lowers  and  raises  the  threads  to  form 
the  design. 

There  are  two  sorts  of  looms :  the  one  requiring  a 
large  shuttle,  and  the  other  only  a  small  one. 

Crape  is  made  with  two  threads  twisted  in  a  con- 
trary direction,  producing  undulation.  It  is  always 
the  women  who  reel,  and  nearly  always  they  who 
weave.  In  some  cases  they  get  the  help  of  children 
for  the  manufacture  of  certain  tissues.  In  the  bro- 
cades, yinran,  requiring  gold,  they  are  used  only  for 
the  woof. 

The  preparation  of  these  gold  threads  is  compli- 
cate and  interesting  enough  for  a  few  words  of  ex- 
planation. First  a  gourd  is  allowed  to  rot  until  the 
fibres  alone  remain.  Then  a  sheet  of  Echizen  paper 
called  torina  ko,  is  taken  and  coated  with  a  layer  of 
seaweed  glue.  This  is  next  rubbed  with  the  gourd 
fibres,  anew  varnished  and  immediately  wiped. 

The  gold  leaves  are  then  taken  and  applied  at 
once  to  the  varnish,  thereupon  follows  rubbing  with 
wadding  to  make  the  adhesion  the  firmer  all  over, 
then  drying,  then  rubbing  with  a  tampon  soaked  in 
Colzal  oil. 


142     Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

When  required  for  use,  the  threads  are  cut  out  to 
the  desired  thickness. 


DYE. — The  following  are  the  products  employed 
in  order  to  obtain  the  principal  colours  used  in  dye- 
ing the  silks  of  Japan  : 

Sumi  (black) :  Bark  of  Myrica  nagy,  chalybeate 
water,  gall  nut,  pomegranate  bark,  sulphate  of  iron. 

Chiai  (red) :  Curcuma,  Brazil-wood,  alum. 

Chai  (greenish  brown) :  Bark  of  Myrica  nagy, 
saffron,  alum,  Brazil-wood,  chalybeate  water. 

Kobicha  (straw   yellow)  :    Ditto,  less  Brazil-wood. 

Kabacha  (orange)  :  Saffron  and  Brazil-wood. 

Shiracha  (brown) :  Myrica  nagy,  Brazil-wood,  alum. 

Kurikawacha  (  chestnut )  :  Myrica  nagy,  weak 
chalybeate  water,  Brazil-wood,  and  alum. 

Tobi  (reddish-brown) :  Weak  chalybeate  water, 
Brazil-wood,  and  alum. 

Hitobi  (bistre)  :  Brazil-wood,  alum,  lime  water. 

Tetsuonando  (chestnut) :  Myrica  nagy,  weak  chaly- 
beate water. 

Ha  (mouse-grey) :  Gall  nut,  chalybeate  water, 
Myrica  nagy,  and  solution  of  indigo. 

Budo  nedjumi  (slate-grey) :  gall  nut,  chalybeate 
water. 

Hi  (vermilion) :    Carthamus,    saffron,    vinegar   of 
plums  and  of  rice,  evodia  glauca. 
K0&ai(rose):  Carthamus,  vinegar  of  plums  and  rice, 


Textile  Fabrics.  143 


evodia  glauca.  For  the  colours  momo  iro,  pale  rose, 
and  Toki,  deep  rose,  the  ingredients  are  the  same 
but  the  proportions  are  varied. 

Murasaki  (violet) :  Lithospernum  erythrorhizon  and 
lye. 

y2z(blue):  Solution  of  indigo;  the  proportions 
are  varied  according  to  the  shade  required. 

Moegi  (green)  :  Saffron  and  a  solution  of  indigo. 

The  proceedings  and  the  installation  of  the  dyers 
are  of  the  simplest.  The  women  are  employed  like 
the  men.  While  one  set  of  women  crush  the  colours 
by  means  of  a  mill-stone  pierced  in  the  centre,  which 
they  ceaselessly  turn,  others  prepare  the  mixtures, 
and  others  again  dip  in  the  articles  to  be  dyed. 

COLOURING  PLANTS.— Japan  is  very  rich  in  col- 
curing  plants  ;  some  cultivated,  others  growing  wild  ; 
certain  of  them  being  used  alone,  in  the  way  of  de- 
coctions, others  being  blended  with  metals  or 
metallic  oxides. 

Here  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  most  frequently 
utilised  : 

Shibuki  is  the  bark  of  the  Yamamomo  (Myrica 
rubra)  which  grows  wild  in  hot  countries.  Its  de- 
coction, of  a  beautiful  reddish  colour,  possesses 
astringent  properties  preservative  of  fabrics.  It  is 
much  used  for  colouring  fishers'  nets. 

Hannoki  (Alnus   maritima)  yields    the  fruits  of 


1 44    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

which  the  decoction,  named  yasha,  mixed  with 
chalybeate  water,  gives  black. 

Kifushi  (gall  nut)  is  employed  in  the  same  way. 

With  the  stalks  and  the  leaves  of  Ariyasu  (Helian- 
thus  tinctorius),  chopped  together  and  dried  in  the 
shade,  a  decoction  of  greenish-yellow  is  produced. 

Several  plants  furnish  various  yellows  : — Roots  of 
the  Ukon  (Curcuma  macrophylla),  the  bark  of  Zumi, 
the  bark  of  Kirvada  ( Evodia  glauca)  and  the  fruits  of 
Kuchi  nashi  (Gardenia  florida).  Each  one  of  these 
plants  treated  singly  yields  a  yery  brilliant  colour. 

From  the  roots  of  the  wild  plant  Murasaki  Kusa 
is  obtained  a  beautiful  violet.  The  roots  of  Akane 
(Rubia  cordifolia)  yields  a  lovely  red. 

The  leaves  of  the  Indigo  (Polygonum  tinctorium),  a 
vivacious  plant,  very  much  cultivated  in  Japan,  yield 
a  substance  greatly  employed  in  painting  and  dyeing. 
Its  cultivation  demands  special  mention. 

The  seeds,  before  being  sown,  must  undergo  the 
following  preparation :  they  are  placed  in  a  vessel  and 
covered  with  a  light  infusion  of  tea,  in  which  they  are 
allowed  to  abide  five  or  six  days  ;  they  are  then  taken 
out,  dripped,  and  dried  in  the  shade,  and  covered 
over  with  a  mat.  They  are  now  ready  for  sowing. 

The  ground  is  then  ploughed,  the  seeds  are  sown 
in  the  furrows,  the  soil  is  harrowed,  and  covered  with 
vegetable  mould  or  sand.  At  the  end  of  about 
twenty-five  days,  when  the  plant  appears,  the  land  is 
dunged  with  a  sort  of  manure,  composed  of  dried 


Textile  Fabrics. 


145 


herrings  and  sardines,  of  earth,  and  of  the  residue  of 
certain  oils.  It  is  manured  three  successive  times 
every  twelve  days ;  if  necessary,  the  seed-plot  is 
thinned  ;  at  the  end  of  seventy-five  days  the  plants 
are  transplanted  and  again  manured  five  times  over, 
care  being  taken  to  keep  the  earth  very  clean  by 
frequent  weed  ings. 


GRINDING    DRUGS. 

Seventy-five  days  later  the  crop  is  harvested,  the 
plant  being  cut  at  the  base.  There  are  two  methods 
of  procedure — either  cutting  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  bearing  home  the  stalks  and  drying  them 
in  the  court-yard  till  the  noon  of  next  day,  turning 
them  over  frequently  meanwhile,  or  cutting  in  the 
morning,  drying  them  on  the  spot,  and  then  carrying 
them  home. 


1 46    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

In  both  cases  the  leaves  are  separated  from  the 
stalks  and  put  in  a  straw  sack. 

To  transform  them  into  balls  water  is  poured 
upon  the  leaves  several  times  in  the  course  of  four 
or  five  days  and  covered  over  with  mats.  At  the 
end  of  this  period  they  are  turned  over ;  then  the 
same  process  is  gone  through  again  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  times. 

This  watering  is  of  great  importance,  and  is  a 
delicate  operation,  requiring  to  be  regulated  accord- 
ing to  the  temperature. 

Finally,  the  leaves  are  pounded  in  a  mortar  for  a 
day  and  a  half.  There  must  be  water  supplied  to 
the  mortar  to  facilitate  the  reduction  of  the  leaves 
to  a  paste  of  extreme  fineness,  whereof  are  formed 
the  balls,  which  are  dried  and  will  keep  good  for  an 
indefinite  length  of  time. 


LACQUER. 

TOKIO  dealers  in  curios  have,  it  appears,  recently 
resolved  on  holding  an  exhibition,  in  which 
nothing  is  to  be  admitted  but  objects  of  art  dating 
as  far  back  as  at  least  a  thousand  years. 

There  will  be  seen  very  rare  specimens  of  lacquer, 
for  it  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  products  of  Japan, 
the  origin  of  which  is  enveloped  in  mystery ;  it  is 
in  some  respects  a  prehistoric  art. 

It  is  as  the  result  of  a  long  course  of  tentative 
experiments  that  the  degree  of  perfection  has  been 
attained  which  is  registered  by  veritable  master- 
pieces of  the  kind. 

Lacquer,  properly  so  called,  consists  of  a  varnish 
of  manifold  combinations,  varied  according  to  the 
quality  and  the  finish  of  the  objects  contemplated. 
This  varnish  is  nothing  else  than  the  juice  of  the 
lacquer-tree  (R/ius  vernicifera),  a  precious  tree,  much 
cultivated  in  Japan,  and  producing,  in  addition  to 
the  varnish,  wax  and  a  highly  valued  yellow  wood. 

147 


148    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

It  is  the  kernel  of  the  nut  of  the  tree  which 
yields  the  wax.  The  varnish  is  obtained  by  mak- 
ing incisions  in  the  bark  of  the  tree  when  five  to 
eight  years  old.  The  outflow  lasts  six  months,  from 
June  until  November,  and  is  distributed  into  three 
qualities  corresponding  with  three  different  periods 
of  yield. 

The  tree  is  then  razed  at  the  foot,  the  branches 
lie  immersed  in  water  for  a  fortnight,  and  additional 
varnish  is  extracted  from  them,  which,  being  placed 
in  vast  wooden  receptacles,  is  exposed  to  the  sun 
and  at  the  same  time  stirred  with  a  spatula,  with  a 
view  to  the  evaporation  of  the  water  therein  con- 
tained. The  varnish  is  strained,  then  mixed  with 
sulphate  of  iron  and  water  falling  from  the  stone 
upon  which  are  sharpened  the  knives  serving  to  cut 
the  tobacco.  The  use  of  this  water  causes  infinitesi- 
mal and  impalpable  doses  of  whetstone  and  tobacco 
to  get  blended  with  the  varnish. 

The  different  qualities  of  lacquer  depend  thence- 
forth upon  the  employment  of  varnish  with  or 
without  oil  (the  best  qualities  are  used  without  oil) 
and  of  the  colouring  ingredients  added,  as,  e.  g.,  for 
red  lacquer,  vermilion  of  superior  quality  and  bcni- 
gara  (composed  of  red  oxide  of  iron)  of  inferior 
quality  are  used. 

Another  colour  is  obtained  by  mixing,  with  the 
varnish,  orpiment  and  indigo  in  powder,  such  as 


Lacquer.  1 49 

they  are,  or  diluted  in  oil,  according  to  require- 
ment. 

Another  mixture  is  with  glue,  with  rice  paste, 
with  whetstone  powder,  according  to  the  effects  and 
the  qualities  that  one  wishes  to  obtain,  the  juice  of 
the  Rhus  vernicifcra  remaining  always  the  base. 

There  is  more  than  one  way  of  making  lacquer, 
and  each  master  in  the  craft  has  had  largely  to 
exercise  his  own  judgment  in  the  business.  It  is 
amazing  to  think  of  the  range  and  delicacy  of 
operations  required  for  this  manufacture. 

You  begin  with  the  wood,  choosing  in  preference 
that  of  Hinoki  and  of  Kinoki  (magnolia).  The  wood 
must  in  every  case  be  very  soft,  seeing  that,  for 
certain  very  fragile  things,  it  has  to  be  no  thicker 
than  a  sheet  of  paper. 

The  first  thing  is  to  adjust  minutely  all  the  parts 
of  the  object  to  be  made.  You  then  stop  up  the 
interstices  of  the  joints  with  a  sort  of  mastic  com- 
posed of  raw  varnish,  of  farine,  and  sawdust.  When 
the  object  is  large  and  requires  thick  wood  the 
angles  are  fastened  by  pegs. 

As  all  the  surfaces  must  be  very  smooth,  the 
slightest  grain  is  effaced  by  pumice-stone,  and  the 
object  is  next  overlaid  with  a  close  coating  of  a 
substance  made  with  a  kind  of  pulverised  and 
baked  potter's  earth  mixed  with  varnish.  It  is 
again,  after  a  long  drying,  rubbed  with  pumice- 


1 50    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

stone  ;  then  silk,  cotton,  or  paper,  according  to  the 
finish  required,  is  glued  upon  the  wood  ;  the  join- 
ings of  the  pieces  are  disguised  by  means  of  raw 
varnish  mixed  with  calcined  clay  ;  then  there  are 
applied  five  successive  layers  of  the  first  coating, 
each  being  allowed  to  dry,  and  thereafter  polishing 
is  done  with  a  coarse  whetstone. 

It  is  now  time  to  use  for  the  applications  a  brush 
of  human  hair.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  Japan- 
ese hair,  like  that  of  the  Chinese,  is  coarse  and  hard. 

After  a  coat  of  raw  varnish,  in  which  have  been 
mixed,  in  equal  portions,  calcined  clay  and  pulver- 
ised whetstone,  polishing  is  applied  anew  with  a 
finer  stone,  and,  to  efface  the  traces  of  this  polish- 
ing, another  coat  of  raw  varnish,  mixed  with  pul- 
verised whetstone  diluted  with  water,  is  laid  on. 
Another  polish  with  a  finer  stone,  or,  rather,  one 
polish  by  the  hand  with  the  impalpable  ashes  of 
deer-horn.  Then  the  object  is  covered  with  a  coat 
of  pure  raw  varnish  and  enclosed  in  a  press,  where 
it  is  left  drying  for  twenty  days.  Finally,  it  is 
polished  once  more  with  very  fine  charcoal  pbwder, 
and  the  result  is  an  object  smooth  and  brilliant  as 
a  mirror. 

But  this  it  not  all.  These  different  operations 
are  interrupted  by  dryings,  which  must  all  be  made  in 
the  most  complete  darkness  and  in  a  slightly  humid 


Lacquer.  1 5 1 

place,  all  the  while  the  articles  being  frequently 
turned  round  for  the  sake  of  an  equal  diffusion 
of  the  varnish.  People  frequently  have  cellars 
devoted  to  this  purpose  exclusively.  The  desic- 
cation of  the  objects  is  determined  by  blowing 
upon  them ;  the  breath  should  leave  the  impression 
of  steam. 


SIFTING. 


But  at  this  stage  all  that  is  yet  obtained  is  only 
smooth  lacquer  of  the  desired  colour ;  it  is  a  back- 
ground, chosen  by  the  workman,  grey,  yellow,  green, 
brown,  red  or  black,  upon  which  will  be  applied 
gold,  silver,  or  precious  materials  fitted  to  serve  for 
the  decoration  of  these  pieces. 


152    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

To  obtain  marbled  lacquers,  you  mix  with  the  var- 
nish, colouring  ingredients  and  the  white  of  an  egg. 
A  coating  of  this  mixture  is  passed  over  the  article, 
and  then  you  beat  with  a  very  thin  spatula.  Such  of 
the  varnish  as  is  thereby  raised  forms  the  depressions 
which  are  the  points  of  departure  for  the  marblings. 

Next  are  added  in  alternation  with  the  rubbings 
with  pumice-stone,  as  above  described,  seven  coat- 
ings of  varnish  of  several  qualities  ;  then  the  object 
is  exposed  for  three  days  to  the  sun.  Contrary  to 
what  might  be  supposed,  this  exposure  makes  the 
colour  brighter  and  more  brilliant. 

Then  again  three  coats  of  varnish  are  applied,  and, 
finally,  the  last  touch  is  put  to  the  work  by  rubbing, 
at  first  for  a  long  time  with  a  tampon  soaked  in  a 
mixture  of  oil  and  pulverised  stone,  then  with  wad- 
ding soaked  in  raw  varnish  and  upon  which  are 
poured  oil  and  calcined  deer-horn. 

The  processes  vary  in  details,  the  substance  is 
always  the  same :  more  or  less  numerous  appli- 
cations— sometimes  up  to  twelve,  twenty"  and  even 
more — of  varnish,  variously  combined  with  the 
other  ingredients;  pumice-stone  rubbings,  as  nu- 
merous in  the  case  of  the  higher  qualities,  as  are 
the  applications. 

But  where  the  execution  varies  infinitely  is  in  the 
colouring  and  decoration. 


Lacquer.  153 

In  black  lacquers,  Indian  ink  plays  an  important 
part ;  a  coating  of  it  is  applied  after  one  or  several 
applications  of  varnish.  For  red  lacquers,  you  apply 
a  coat  of  vermilion  for  the  first  quality  and  a  coat 
of  bcnigara  for  the  inferior  quality. 

For  the  yellow,  there  is  employed  an  extract 
of  gardenia  florida,  then  one  proceeds  as  previously 
described.  Charcoal  is  also  frequently  used,  as 
much  in  the  polishing  as  in  the  colouring. 

For  gold  lacquers,  a  mixture  of  vermilion  and  of 
varnish  is  heated  on  a  slow  fire ;  afterwards  one 
takes  a  sheet  of  transparent  paper  on  which  is  the 
design  to  be  reproduced  upon  the  lacquer.  The 
paper  is  turned  over  and  the  reversed  design  is 
followed  with  a  pencil  steeped  in  the  aforesaid 
mixture. 

Apply  then  on  the  lacquer  the  paper  at  the 
moistened  side,  and  rub  with  a  bamboo  spatula. 
Afterwards  tap  lightly  upon  the  lines  of  the  counter- 
drawing  with  a  little  silk  sachet  filled  with  nearly  im- 
palpable whetstone  powder.  The  object  of  this  pro- 
cess is  to  perfect  the  application  of  the  design,  which 
is  subsequently  polished  with  charcoal  and  covered 
over  minutely  with  varnish,  in  order  to  secure  the 
adhesion  of  the  gold  powder,  which  is  applied  either 
with  a  brush,  or  by  sprinkling  through  a  tube, 
according  to  its  fineness. 


r  54    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

It  is  allowed  to  dry  for  a  whole  day ;  then  it  is 
continue,  in  the  case  of  the  marbled  lacquers,  with 
the  application  of  varnish,  followed  by  pumice-stone 
rubbings  more  or  less  frequent. 

For  the  designs  in  relief,  the  process  varies  some- 
what from  the  preceding.  The  counter-drawing 
being  obtained,  it  is  covered  by  carefully  following 
the  lines,  with  a  mixture  of  two-thirds  of  charcoal 
and  one-third  of  orpiment.  Rub  with  a  tampon 
of  wadding,  steeped  in  varnish  ;  dry,  rubbing  anew 
to  smooth  down  the  relief ;  then,  by  means  of  a 
morsel  of  very  fine  charcoal,  the  outlines  of  the 
design  are  carefully  polished  ;  with  a  paper  stump 
covered  with  calcined  varnish,  you  polish  the  design 
itself.  Rub  again  with  varnish  and  dry,  then  delin- 
eate the  outlines  of  the  design  with  a  special  var- 
nish and  cover  the  parts  in  relief. 

This  varnish  is  baked  with  lamp-black  and  camphor, 
and  strained  three  times.  It  has  the  property  of  not 
cracking,  but  it  dries  more  slowly. 

After  this  application  and  drying,  several  coats  of 
varnish  are  given,  and  at  the  last  but  one,  silver 
powder  is  put  on  the  brush,  and  polished  again 
with  charcoal. 

Then  the  design  is  covered  with  a  coating  of  very 
old  varnish,  allowed  three  days  to  dry,  polished 
with  a  piece  of  camelia  charcoal,  then  with  whet^ 


Lacquer.  155 

stone  powder ;  then  varnishing  again  ;  then  gold 
powder ;  another  drying ;  a  last  polishing  with 
charcoal ;  then  with  calcined  deer-horn ;  finally, 
the  design  is  coated  with  varnish  of  three  years 
old  ;  and  the  object  completed,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  gold  and  the  marbled  lacquers,  by  successive 
coats  of  varnish  alternating  with  pumice-stone 
rubbings. 

Lacquers  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl  are  manufac- 
tured pretty  nearly  in  the  same  way.  In  and  under 
the  varnish  is  placed  the  mother-of-pearl  which  is  to 
form  the  design.  It  is  then  covered  over  with  var- 
nish, which  is  rubbed  with  pumice-stone  till  the 
mother-of-pearl  reappears. 

In  the  same  way  is  manufactured  a  quality  of  lac- 
quer capable  of  standing  fire,  and  so  used  for  culi- 
nary purposes. 

Lacquer  has  been  applied  to  everything ;  from 
objects  the  most  sumptuous  down  to  the  most  com- 
mon ;  from  the  table  and  toilet  vessel  up  to  objects 
of  pure  art ;  from  the  largest  pieces  of  furniture 
down  to  the  most  frugal  bibelots. 

Lacquer  holds  a  place  in  the  decoration  of  reli- 
gious edifices,  as  well  in  the  objects  of  divine  service 
as  in  architectural  ornamentation. 

In  this  connection  are  more  particularly  cited  the 
exterior  gallery  of  the  temple  consecrated  to  the 
memory  of  Yemitsu,  at  Nikko,  of  which  the  floor — 


1 56    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 


upon  which  people  walk  only  barefooted  —  is  in 
beautiful  black  lacquer ;  and  in  the  same  place  the 
sacred  bridge,  in  red  lacquer,  a  bridge  crossed  by  a 
procession  only  once  a  year. 


THE  GRAPHIC  ARTS. 

PAPER. 

THE  Japanese  made  use  of  paper  long  before  it 
was  in  use  among  us.    Already  towards  the  end  of 
the  sixth  century  in  the  reign  of  the  Empress  Suiko, 
we  hear  of  a  Corean  priest  importing  new   processes 
for  its  manufacture. 

Some  centuries  later  the  existence  of  three  kinds 
of  paper  is  attested — Mashi,  Hishi,  and  Kokushi,  and 
others  besides,  all  manufactured  from  certain  plants 
still  in  use  in  our  day.  The  materials  entering  into 
the  composition  of  paper  are  derived  solely  from  the 
vegetable  kingdom. 

First  and  foremost  we  have  the  mulberry  tree, 
mitsu  mat  a  in  Japanese  ( '  Edgeworthia  papyrifera), 
yielding  the  most  beautiful  qualities ;  gampi  (  Wiks- 
troemia  canescens)  yielding  a  paper  proof  against 
worms  ;  kdzo  (Broussonetia  papyrifera)  and  Tororo 
(Hibiscus),  the  roots  of  which  contain  a  precious 
juice. 

i57 


1 58    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

The  three  principal  species  of  paper  manufactured 
in  our  day  from  these  plants,  under  the  common 
name  of  Kami  or  riohi,  are  :  the  Danshi,  smooth  or 
wrinkled  ;  the  Hoshio  of  the  province  of  Yechizen, 
and  the  Sugihara  of  Harima.  Then  comes  the  fol- 
lowing species  :  the  Hagi  (Lespedeza  cyrtobotrya), 
the  Higaki  (Picrasma  ailantlwidcs),  the  Yanagi 
(Salixjaponica),  the  Hinoki  (Chamce  cyparis  obtusa), 
and  also  the  bamboo. 

The  stalks  are  cut  from  these  plants  to  about  three 
feet  long,  and  the  first  operation  they  are  subjected 
to  is  that  of  separating  the  liber  *  from  the  two  outer 
envelopes  of  the  bark,  which  latter  are  available  only 
for  inferior  qualities,  being  immersed  in  boiling 
water. 

The  liber  is  several  times  washed,  then  kneaded 
and  dried  in  the  sun  until  it  becomes  absolutely 
white.  Then  it  is  boiled  in  a  lye  of  buckwheat  ashes 
to  extract  the  gum  and  resin. 

The  fibres,  from  which  are  removed  any  knots 
that  are  too  hard,  are  next  detached  from  the  liber, 
and  beaten  with  wooden  mallets.  The  paste  is  now 
ready  for  the  vat,  where  it  is  mixed  with  a  certain 
quantity  of  water,  to  which  is  added  rice  flour,  a 
little  of  the  gum  derived  from  the  bark  of  the  Nori 


*  Liber — the  innermost  of  the  three  envelopes  forming  the  bark  of 
the  tree. 


KOZO  (BROUSSONETIA  PAPYRIFERA).    MITSU  MATA  (EDGEWORTHIA  PAPYRIFERA). 
TORORO  (HIBISCUS).     GAMPI  (WICKSTRCEMIA). 


1 60    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

noki  (Hydrangea  paniculata),  or  from  the  mucilag- 
inous fluid  extracted  from  the  root  of  the  Torora. 

Hurdles  made  of  very  thin  bamboo  laths,  joined 
together  by  silk  or  hemp  threads,  are  plunged  in  the 
vat,  where  they  become  covered  with  paste  which, 
by  means  of  a  backward  and  forward  motion  im- 
pressed on  it,  gets  equally  diffused.  Thence  are 
obtained  sheets  which  are  then  dripped,  pressed  and 
stretched  upon  boards  to  facilitate  drying. 

Beautiful  wall  paper  is  obtained  by  spreading 
upon  the  sheet,  while  still  damp,  a  powder  com- 
posed of  glue  and  pulverised  shells.  Or  even  by 
sprinkling  pulverised  mica. 

Of  a  solidity  proof  against  everything,  this  paper 
sometimes  takes  the  aspect  of  chased  leather,  richly 
decorated  with  superb  designs  in  relief  and  colours, 
gold  generally  predominating. 

For  the  purpose  of  stamping,  it  is  first  squeezed 
in  order  to  make  it  supple,  and  then  stretched,  by 
means  of  very  hard  brushes,  upon  a  board  where 
are  incised  the  designs  required  to  be  reproduced. 

The  great  solidity  of  Japanese  paper  comes  from 
the  fact  that  the  fibres  composing  the  paste  are  not 
completely  disaggregated  but  only  pounded. 

The  paper  used  for  books,  copy-books,  registers, 
and  albums,  is  used  also  to  manufacture  a  multitude 
of  objects.  It  takes  the  place  of  glass  in  houses  ;  it 
is  used  to  decorate  the  frames  of  small  panels  (kara- 


The  Graphic  Arts.  161 

kamis),  dividing  the  interior  apartments  ;  it  serves 
for  hanging  on  the  walls.  Varnished,  it  is  made  to 
imitate  leather  ;  oiled,  it  becomes  impermeable,  and 
is  employed  for  umbrellas  and  rainproof  mantles; 
rolled  very  fine,  it  is  twine ;  finer  still,  it  is  thread 
that  enters  along  with  cotton  into  the  fabrication  of 
tissues. 

Of  it  are  made  lanterns,  fans,  pocket-handkerchiefs, 
bill-posters,  kites,  artificial  flowers,  etc. 

Of  it  are  made  those  pretty  screens,  varied, 
bright,  commodious,  sometimes  so  artistic,  always 
so  charming. 

The  most  delicate  part  of  their  execution  is  evi- 
dently the  sizing  of  the  painted  sheets :  the  result  is 
always  perfect,  though  the  artisans  work  squatted 
upon  mats,  that  is  in  conditions  the  most  unfavour- 
able from  our  point  of  view. 

In  this  product  Japanese  taste  shines  in  an  in- 
contestable manner,  as  much  in  the  choice  of  the 
paintings  before  they  are  brought  into  conjunction, 
as  in  that  of  the  papers  and  the  brocaded  stuffs 
in  harmonious  colours,  framing  each  panel. 

Nothing  is  left  to  chance.  The  disposal  of  the 
margins — the  opposite  of  ours,  broader  at  the  top 
than  at  the  bottom — and  the  different  threads  of 
the  framings  are  the  result  of  study  and  instructed 
calculation  whereof  our  artisans  are  completely 
ignorant. 


1 62     Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

A  great  assortment  of  common  objects,  light  and 
durable,  are  manufactured  with  a  species  of  papier 
mdche  named  ikambari. 

A  curious  employment  of  paper  is  that  for  the 
moulding  of  masks.  You  proceed  thus :  Give  the 
model  a  coating  in  oil,  then  stick  thereon,  moisten- 
ing it,  a  thin,  supple  paper.  As  many  as  thirty 
thicknesses  are  put  on,  the  slightest  details  of  the 
mask  being  exactly  observed. 

It  is  allowed  to  dry,  then  potter's  earth  is  put  on 
both  sides  ;  the  paper  is  burnt,  leaving  its  impres- 
sion in  the  clay  mould,  wherein  is  run  the  material 
of  which  new  masks  are  desired  to  be  made. 

The  fabrication  of  screens  and  fans  requires  an 
enormous  quantity  of  paper. 

Tradition  carries  the  invention  of  fans  back  to  the 
end  of  the  seventh  century.  It  would  seem  that  the 
observation  of  the  wings  of  bats  first  suggested  the 
creation  of  this  object  of  first  necessity  for  a  Japan- 
ese. Thence  the  name  Kuvahori  (bat),  long  serving 
as  its  designation.  The  modern  name  is  Sensu. 

The  principal  centres  of  this  production — which  is 
enormous — are  Kiota,  Owari,  Osaka,  but  the  most 
renowned  are  the  fans  and  screens  (Utschiwa) 
of  Tokio. 

They  are  made  of  ivory,  of  shell,  of  a  certain 
hard  wood  imported  from  China,  and  above  all 
of  bamboo. 


The  Graphic  Arts.  163 


Each  class  of  society  has  its  own  ;  there  are  even 
fans  which  one  is  bound  to  carry  on  certain 
occasions. 

There  is  the  noble  fan,  which  does  not  fold  up; 
and  the  fan  of  battle,  all  iron,  which  was  wont  to 
form  part  of  the  formidable  apparatus  of  the  warrior 
of  former  times. 

There  is  the  fan  of  the  acrobat  and  that  of  the 
prestidigitator,  the  former  manipulated  with  so  much 
grace  by  the  acrobat,  who  never  parts  with  it  even 
in  the  performance  of  his  most  perilous  feats,  and 
the  latter  also  with  so  much  grace  by  the  prestidigi- 
tator, who  makes  so  peculiar  a  use  of  it,  employing 
it  to  juggle  with  eggs  or  humming-tops,  or  to  fly 
and  be  pursued  by  white  paper  butterflies,  a  game 
that  caused  such  a  sensation  in  our  circuses  some 
years  ago,  at  the  time  when  the  secret  fan,  carry- 
ing a  dagger  in  one  of  its  branches,  also  made  its 
appearance. 

But  if  the  fans  of  ceremony  are  the  work  of  verita- 
ble artists,  the  common  fan,  without  other  value 
than  that  of  a  cheap  commodity,  generally  made  by 
women,  is  an  object  of  wide  commerce. 

Every  one  knows  the  name  of  the  priest  who  in- 
vented the  hand-screen  outchiwa  in  the  seventeenth 
century  ;  an  article  still  more  diffused  than  the  fan, 
for  it  is  in  millions  that  exporters  have  inundated 
the  world  with  it,  so  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find 


1 64    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

anyone  who  had  not  held  in  his  hands  one  of  those 
light  and  graceful  objects.  To  describe  them  would 
be  superfluous,  but  how  not  admire  the  skill  of  the 
workman  who  knows  nothing  of  machinery,  and  has 
only  a  thin  blade  for  dividing  into  quite  small  pieces 
the  bamboo  that  serves  as  skeleton  to  this  knick- 
knack  ! 

Housekeepers  employ  hand-screens  for  all  sorts  of 
uses  for  which  they  do  not  seem  to  have  been  in- 
tended. Swinging  suspended  by  a  thread,  the  fan 
is  a  fly-flap ;  tossed  above  the  hearth  it  is  a  bellows ; 
or,  again,  it  will  take  the  place  of  a  shovel  to  gather 
up  the  dust  ;  or  it  will  take  the  place  of  the  wooden 
bowl  of  the  mendicant  (see  Marchande  de  Sourirs). 

One  word  on  the  fabrication  of  books. 

Each  volume  contains  a  certain  number  of  leaves 
folded  double,  of  which  the  borders,  parallel  with 
fold  and  tied  by  a  thread,  form  the  back — exactly 
the  opposite  of  our  book-stitching.  The  fold  is  not 
cut ;  the  leaf  remains  double ;  it  is  printed  only 
upon  one  and  the  other  of  the  exterior  surfaces, 
which  form  the  verso  and  the  recto.  It  is  indeed  in 
this  order  that  we  must  designate  the  two  sides  of 
the  leaf,  inasmuch  as  what  would  be  to  us  the  last 
page  of  a  book  is  in  Japan  the  one  to  start  with. 

Each  page  is  framed  by  a  thread.  On  the  margin 
of  the  right  of  the  recto,  and  that  of  the  left  of 


The  Graphic  Arts.  165 

the  verso,  that  is  exactly  in  the  fold,  are  found  : 
first,  at  the  top,  the  title  of  the  work  ;  second,  in  the 
middle,  the  number  of  the  page  ;  and,  third,  at  the 
bottom,  the  publisher's  name  ;  and,  the  volume 
closed,  these  indications  stripe  and  decorate  the 
edge  ;  the  leaves  are  simply  stitched  together  at  the 
same  time  with  the  thin  gauffered  pasteboard  cover. 
This  mode  of  stitching  is  impossible  except  with 
perfectly  supple  and  firm  paper  such  as  the  Japanese 
make.  In  Europe,  Japanese  paper  is  employed  in 
preference  to  all  others  for  printing  editions  de  luxe 
by  our  artists  and  publishers. 

INDIAN  INK. 

The  Japanese,  who  have  assimilated  the  art  of 
caligraphy  with  the  art  of  drawing,  have  at  all 
times  held  the  former  in  great  honour.  They  do  not 
use  pens  for  writing,  nor  crayons  for  drawing ;  they 
know  only  the  brush,  using  with  it  Indian  ink. 

In  the  Middle  Ages  it  was  the  Thoshiro,  or  Depart- 
ment of  Archives,  which  had  the  exclusive  privilege 
of  manufacturing  ink.  This  fabrication  has  remained 
the  same  to  our  day,  but  private  industry  has  mas- 
tered the  craft. 

There  are  two  processes  :  one  has  for  its  base  black 
vegetable  soot,  the  other  uses  only  lamp-black.  The 
latter  gives  the  best  result. 


1 66    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

Vegetable  black  is  obtained  by  burning  very 
resinous  pine  on  the  ground  flagged  with  a  small 
construction  of  masonry  divided  into  several  com- 
partments. The  partitions  are  covered  over  with 
rough  paper  on  which  the  soot  deposits. 


Lamp-black  is  more  costly,  but  much  preferable  for 
use.  To  obtain  it  there  are  placed  upon  a  shelf  a 
large  number  of  saucers  containing  oil  of  Gama,  or 
of  colza,  and  a  lighted  wick.  These  are  covered 
over  with  a  conical  vase  pierced  by  a  hole  at  the 
top.  The  soot  should  be  collected  very  often,  other- 
wise it  deteriorates. 


The  Graphic  Arts.  167 


Whatever  be  the  kind  of  black  one  use,  it  is 
mixed,  by  punctilious  kneading,  with  water  and 
paste  boiled  together.  Then  this  paste  is  put  in 
moulds  where  it  is  compressed. 

Thereafter  it  is  placed  for  four  hours  in  wet  ashes, 
then  for  an  entire  day  in  ashes  only  humid,  finally 
three  days  in  dry  ashes. 

All  that  remains  to  be  done  is  washing  with  pure 
water  and  polishing.  This  ink  improves  with  age. 

HAIR  BRUSHES. 

HAIR  BRUSHES. — It  is  generally  admitted  that 
hair  brushes  were  invented  at  the  same  time  with 
paper.  At  first  the  hair  of  the  rabbit  and  deer  was 
used,  and  posterity  has  preserved  the  name  of  one 
of  the  first  fabricators — Kohoski. 

With  the  ashes  accruing  from  the  burnt  bran  of 
rice  the  workman  rubs  in  his  hands,  in  small  quanti- 
ties, the  hairs  which  he  wants  to  use,  in  order  to 
divest  them  well  of  grease.  Then  he  assorts  them 
and  smoothes  them  with  a  very  fine  copper  comb. 

According  to  the  size  or  the  quality  of  the  brushes 
that  he  wants  to  make,  he  prepares  a  more  or  less 
thick  layer  of  hairs,  pastes  them  together  with  a  so- 
lution of  seaweed  named  Funori,  and  lets  them  dry. 

He  now  examines  them  to  see  that  they  are  regu- 
larly placed,  picking  out  with  a  knife  those  that  are 


1 68    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

defective ;  then  he  unites  them  in  the  form  of  a 
tapering  cone.  He  licks  them  several  times  to  unite 
them  well,  and  smoothes  them  carefully  with  the 
back  and  the  edge  of  a  knife.  Finally  he  ties  them 
with  a  linen  thread,  and  sticks  them  in  a  little  bam- 
boo tube,  by  means  of  the  aforesaid  solution  of 
seaweed.  He  ends  the  operation  by  combing  them 
and  stroking  them  between  his  fingers. 


Look  at  the  manufacturer  of  brushes  established 
in  his  shop,  to  which  an  enormous  specimen  of  the 
objects  he  has  on  sale  serves  as  sign,  while  pots  full 
of  brushes  likewise  appeal  to  the  customer. 

The  position  for  writing  is  very  different  from 
ours  :  the  brush  is  held  vertically  between  the  two 
forefingers,  supported  by  the  thumb,  which  remains 


The   Graphic  Arts. 


169 


immovable.     The   hand   does  not  touch  the  paper, 
and  the  arm  rests  upon  the  left  hand. 

The  writer  is  seated  upon  his  heels,  and  has  before 
him  a  little  table,  very  low.     Close  beside  him,  upon 


the  mat,  are  placed  his  writing-stone,  a  stick  of 
Indian  ink,  and  one  of  vermilion,  a  puncheon,  a 
pen-knife,  a  metal  drainer,  etc.  All  these  minute 


1 70    Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

objects  are  contained  in  his  standish,  a  little 
lacquer  box. 

Occasionally  also,  they  make  use  of  a  hand- 
rest,  made  of  a  morsel  of  ivory,  of  bone,  or  of 
bamboo,  having  the  shape  of  a  narrow  tile  with 
wide  opening,  most  frequently  in  faience. 

For  work  that  demands  less  care,  the  table  is  dis- 
pensed with,  the  paper  is  laid  flat  on  the  mat,  where 
the  writer  in  a  kneeling  position  lies  more  or  less 
stretched  out  on  his  elbows,  the  left  hand  holding 
the  wrist. 

Altogether  different  is  the  attitude  for  teaching 
writing.  The  mother  or  the  master  guides  the 
child,  not  by  conducting  its  hand  as  we  do,  but 
by  holding  by  the  end  of  the  handle  the  brush  which 
he  directs. 

Drawing  is  taught  in  the  same  way ;  these  two 
studies  are  simultaneously  taught. 

DESIGNING. 
ENGRAVING — PRINTING"  OF  CUTS. 

ENGRAVING. — There  is  no  country  in  the  world 
where  the  people,  down  to  the  lowest  classes,  are 
so  familiar  with  the  arts  of  drawing,  and  where 
the  demand  for  pictures  and  illustrated  works  is 
so  great. 


The  Graphic  Arts. 


If  the  romances,  educational  works,  books  of  voy- 
ages and  travels,  historical  and  religious  treatises, 
albums  representing  theatrical  scenes,  etc.,  that  have 
been  published  for  centuries  back,  were  piled  above 
one  another,  the  snowy  summit  of  Fuzi-Yama  would 
itself  be  surmounted. 

Movable  types  being  unknown,  the  contents  of 
these  works  had  to  be  all  carved  in  relief.  Text  and 


WOOD-ENGRAVERS. 


figures  are  traced  with  a  brush  on  transparent  and 
very  thin  paper,  pasted  upside  down  upon  wood, 
which  is  eaten  into  by  the  graving  tool  passing 
through  the  paper. 

This  process  spares  the  artist  the  trouble  of 
making  his  designs  on  the  wood  in  reverse,  as  we 
did  before  the  art  of  photographing  upon  wood 
was  known. 


172     Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 


For  work-table  the  engraver,  squatted  upon  the 
floor,  has  a  little  bench,  under  which  is  just  room  for 
his  folded  legs. 

He  holds  his  tool  solidly  in  the  right  hand,  and 
moves  the  blade  by  means  of  his  left  hand.  The 
squatting  position,  which  would  be  intolerable  for 
any  other  than  a  Japanese,  is  a  general  habit  with 
those  of  sedentary  occupations,  litterateurs,  artists, 
and  artisans.  They  are  accustomed  to  it  from 
infancy,  and,  in  certain  crafts,  such  as  those  of 
the  blacksmith,  carpenter,  and  twenty  others,  the 
workmen  profit  greatly  by  it.  Their  feet  not  having 
to  sustain  them,  lend  to  their  hands  very  valuable 
assistance. 

PRINTING  WOODCUTS. — The  material  necessary 
for  taking  impressions  of  pictures  is  of  the  most 
compendious  description. 

Here  is  the  list : 

First.  Two  tablets  of  wood,  measuring  six  by 
eighteen  inches ;  -the  one  horizontal,  supported  by 
two  ledges,  the  other  slightly  inclined,  like  a  desk. 
The  first  of  these  tablets  serves  for  the  moistening 
of  the  leaves,  which  are  printed  on  the  second  by 
the  aid  of  special  tampons  for  each  colour. 

Second.  Tampons,  discs  of  thin  pasteboard  of 
nearly  five  inches  in  diameter,  enveloped  with  a 
ligneous  sheet  of  bamboo,  perfectly  tense  on  one 


The  Graphic  Arts.  173 


side  and  twisted  on  the  other  into  two  cords  which 
join  together  in  a  knot,  and  serve  by  way  of  handle ; 
— for  mechanism  has  nothing  to  say  in  the  matter, 
all  being  done  with  the  hand,  and  the  printer 


MATERIALS    FOR    TAKING    IMPRESSIONS    OF    WOODCUTS. 

going  through  with  all  these  operations  seated  upon 
his  heels. 

Third.  Two  or  three  iron  and  porcelain  mortars 
(suri-batchi)  with  their  pestles  (suriko-ki),  many 
little  pots,  cup  for  the  colours,  and  that  is  all,  with 
the  exception  of  brushes  that  are  of  two  kinds— one 


174     Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

flat,  for  moistening  the  paper  before  pulling;  the 
other  harder  and  thicker  (hake),  serving  to  spread 
the  colour  on  the  parts  of  the  wood  left  in  relief  by 
the  engraver.  This  is  what  is  called,  in  printer's 
language,  inking.  For  this  very  delicate  operation, 
there  is  further  used  a  piece  of  muslin  stretched 
upon  a  little  wooden  hoop  with  a  handle  (soui-no); 
the  colour  is  distributed  more  equally  by  the  aid  of 
this  article  than  by  brushes,  which,  although  more 
frequently  employed,  are  more  difficult  to  work 
with. 

The  construction  of  the  brushes  is  sufficiently 
curious.  The  handles  are  of  wood,  and  of  two  sorts : 
the  one  is  made  of  a  little  board,  cut  out  and  split, 
so  that  the  hairs  tied  by  horse  hair  braided  in  three 
rows  are  as  tight  as  in  a  claquoir.  For  the  other, 
which  is  thicker,  they  employ  two  plates  of  wood 
also  bound  together  by  horse  hair. 

We  subjoin  the  list  of  the  colours  most  used  for 
this  printing: 

Tamango,  clear  yellow.  Tatsi(tsi,  silver  white. 

Toka,  dark  chestnut.  Chia'i,  vermilion. 

At,  dark  blue.  Tauha,  red  brown. 

Kusa,  lettuce  green.  Murasaki,  brilliant  violet. 

Yama  buki>  clear  orange.  Sumis,  black. 

Yubana,  mastic  white.  Beni,  brown  lacquer. 

The  composition  of  this  last  colour  is  known  only 
to  the  inventor,  who  carefully  keeps  the  secret. 


The  Graphic  Arts.  175 

The  colours,  pulverised  in  the  mortars,  are  diluted 
in  cold  water — except  murasaki,  which  requires 
boiling  water — and  mixed  with  a  solution  of  alum 
(miobam),  and  with  glue  (nikana). 

The  colours  are  mixed  upon  a  wooden  palette. 

Each  leaf,  having  been  moistened,  is  placed  upon 
the  relief  engraving,  and  the  engraver  rubs  with  the 
tampons,  turning  lightly,  without  at  first  bearing  too 
much  upon  it,  and  without  tapping.  Great  dexterity 
is  needed  to  place  the  leaves  properly  upon  the 
marks  obtained  by  means  of  notches  made  at  the 
four  corners  of  the  wood.  As  soon  as  the  leaves 
are  printed  it  is  necessary  to  put  them  under  press 
in  order  to  avoid  warping. 

Bright  and  fresh  colours  are  obtained  by  passing 
each  time  a  light  coating  of  rice  paste  upon  the  wood 
before  spreading  the  colour.  If  this  is  not  done,  the 
tones  remain  always  a  little  dull. 

The  Japanese  printer  has  other  resources.  He 
employs  gold  and  silver  powders  and  dry  printing, 
giving  embossings  which  sometimes  happily  effect 
the  underlining  of  the  contours  of  the  design.  In 
short,  with  methods  very  primitive,  the  Japanese 
printer  obtains  results  that  have  never  been  surpassed 
elsewhere.  The  operations  he  has  to  accomplish 
are  so  minute,  demanding  such  great  experience 
and  such  care,  that  it  might  very  well  be  said 
that  he  has  as  much  merit  in  pulling  an  engraving  as 


176     Natural  Products  and  Manufactures. 

has  the  engraver  in  engraving  it,  and  his  part  in  the 
production  of  the  work  may  be  compared  to  that  of 
the  actor  in  reciting  well  his  role  ;  in  short  the  printer 
also  is  an  artist. 


DECORATED  LEATHERS. 

The  Hinuji-kawa,  or  leather  of  Hinuji,  takes  its 
name  from  the  locality  in  the  province  of  Harima 
where  it  is  manufactured. 

It  is  oftenest  ornamented  with  designs  stamped 
in  relief  obtained  by  means  of  copper  plates  upon 
which  are  graven  by  incision  the  ornaments,  flowers 
and  birds,  whereof  the  representation  in  relief  is  de- 
sired upon  leather. 

Coloured  at  first  with  varnish,  gold  and  silver  nec- 
essary for  the  composition  are  then  added. 

Thus  decorated  these  leathers  serve  to  make  min- 
ute objects:  boxes,  tobacco-pouches,  etc. 

The  Some  kawa,  or  dyed  leather,  is  manufactured 
at  Tokio  especially.  Here  the  method  of  decora- 
tion differs  from  the  preceding.  The  designs  are  not 
stamped,  they  are  obtained  by  means  of  reserves 
stamped  on  leather,  which  care  was  taken  to  apply 
previously  on  a  cylinder.  The  colouring  material 
used  is  in  ordinary  cases,  liquid  ;  yet  recourse  is 
sometimes  had  to  pine-soot  :  the  leather  thus  fash- 
ioned takes  the  name  of  Kusubc  kawa.  This  last 


The  Graphic  Arts.  177 


process  is  very  ancient,  and  was  employed  for  the 
ornamentation  of  armour. 

Uzura  kawa  is  a  wavy  leather  obtained  by  sur- 
rounding it  with  solid  wires  when  it  is  fixed  upon 
the  cylinder.  It  is  thus  plunged  into  the  colour,  and 
thereafter  subjected  to  the  action  of  smoke. 

The  colours  mostly  used  are  indigo-blue  and  dark 
red,  and  others  that  are  composed  as  follows  : 

Green  :  Indigo  and  the  juice  extracted  from  flowers 
of  Carthamus  (mock-saffron). 

Yellow  :   Decoction  of  the  bark  oijumi. 

Black  :  Ferruginous  water  and  gall  nut. 

Red:  Decoction  of  Carthamus  and  Brazil-wood. 

The  colour  known  under  the  name  of  kobicha 
(straw  yellow)  is  obtained  simply  by  exposing  the 
leather  to  the  fumes  of  straw  and  fir-wood.  It  is  the 
same  with  those  named  kuri  iro  (chestnut)  with  a 
basis  of  red  acid  of  iron,  and  tobi  iro  (red  brown) 
procured  from  Brazil-wood  treated  simply  with  the 
smoke  of  straw. 


FOOD   PRODUCTION   AND 
PREPARATION 


FOOD   PRODUCTION  AND 
PREPARATION. 

WHAT  do  they  eat  in  Japan  ?  The  simpler  way 
of  answering  this  question  might  be  to  begin 
by  saying  what  they  do  not  eat. 

Having  no  prairies,  but  all  their  lands  converted 
into  rice  plantations  and  fruit  gardens,  the  Japanese 
have  very  few  animals,  and  therefore  no  butcher 
meat,  no  fats,  no  milk,  no  butter,  and  no  cheese. 

They  have  only  a  little  wheat  which  they  utilise  in 
another  way  than  is  the  habit  in  Europe,  and  do  not 
know  bread,  any  more  than  the  potato,  the  place  of 
which  is  taken  among  them  by  the  sweet  potato. 

181 


1 82  Food-Supplies. 


They  have  neither  beer,  nor  wine,  nor  coffee,  and 
drink  nothing,  while  eating,  but  tea ;  sake,  a  fer- 
mented drink,  follows  the  meal,  and  that  is  all. 

The  culinary  preparations  are  extremely  com- 
plicate. The  making  of  one  dish  takes  up  to  twen- 
ty-four hours  ;  the  chefs  of  Japan  have  nothing  in 
their  menu  quickly  made.  All  their  dishes  require 
preparation,  maceration,  cooking,  and  all  sorts  of 
learned  combinations,  which  take  much  time. 
They  are  then  served  in  an  infinite  number  of  small 
utensils,  pleasing  and  graceful.  Only  rice,  which  in 
a  manner  takes  the  place  of  bread,  and  is  served 
with  all  dishes,  is  presented  in  one  large  round  box 
with  lacquer  cover. 

Everything  serves  them  as  a  pretext  for  ornamen- 
tal pieces,  for  picturesque  arrangement.  The  dishes 
are  dressed  with  taste,  their  colours  matching  one 
another  and  set  off  with  the  varieties  of  verdure 
which  brings  out  their  varied  tones;  it  is  like 
culinary  jewelry  executed  for  the  pleasure  of  the 
eyes. 

The  uncooked  fish,  cut  up  into  small  strips,  is 
arranged  in  glass  plates,  particularly  the  tea,  the 
fish  most  highly  prized  in  Japan. 

They  have  fowl,  eggs,  game,  and  magnificent 
vegetables,  some  attaining  colossal  dimensions, 
abundance  of  eatable  marine  plants  seasoned  with  a 
certain  sauce,  called  shoyu.  Then  come  haricot 


TEA   AND    CAKES.  PEASANT   WOMAN   COOKING. 

MAKOURA,   HEBASHI.       CANDLE- STICK.        BOWL  OF  RICE.        BOTTLE  OF  SAKE. 


1 8  4  Food-  Supplies. 


pates,  various  pickles,  plenty  of  preserves,  rice- 
cakes,  etc. 

What  most  distinguishes  Japanese  cooks  is  their 
extreme  cleanliness.  Never  do  they  touch  viands 
with  their  ringers,  but  with  small  chop-sticks  kept 
for  the  purpose, 

Their  establishment  is  not  complicate  : 

A  stove,  saucepans,  boilers,  ladles  like  very  small 
saucepans,  buckets  on  trestles,  a  mortar,  a  pestle, 
plates,  teapots,  bowls,  numberless  bowls — these  form 
pretty  nearly  the  whole  equipment. 

In  the  country  the  equipment  is  simpler  still.  In 
the  floor  is  a  large  opening,  closed  by  a  sliding  trap. 
A  hole  in  the  ground,  forming  the  fireplace  ;  above 
it,  descending  from  the  ceiling,  is  a  chain  with  a 
pot-hook. 

VIANDS. 
RICE. 

Agriculture  was  formerly  held  in  great  honour  in 
Japan ;  it  was  in  ancient  times  the  only  occupation 
of  the  men.  As  society  developed  this  state  of 
things  underwent  complete  modification,  and  people 
became  divided  into  four  classes  corresponding  to 
four  different  functions. 

(i)  No,  peasants; 

(i)  Shi  or  Samurai,  soldiers  ; 

(3)  K6,  artisans  ; 


Viands. 


(4)  S/w,  merchants. 

Peasants,  nevertheless,  still  formed  the  majority, 
just  as  rice  has  always  held  the  first  place  among 
agricultural  products. 


RICE   POUNDERS. 


The  cultivated  soil  is  of  two  sorts,  dry  and   moist. 

This  last  is  entirely  given  up  to  rice  plantations, 
which  of  themselves  cover  an  area  much  greater  than 
that  of  all  other  cereals  and  of  garden  plants  com- 


1 8  6  Food-  Supplies. 


bined.  On  the  other  hand  an  area  almost  double 
that  of  the  rice  plantations  is  taken  up  in  the  culture 
of  the  mulberry  and  of  tea. 

Japan  possesses  two  principal  sorts  of  rice  :  uruchi, 
ordinary  rice,  and  mochigome,  glutinous  rice.  These 
two  kinds  are  each  divided  into  three  others :  early, 
middle,  and  late  rice. 

From  ordinary  rice  are  procured  foods,  leaven,  sak^ 
and  vinegar.  Ground  into  flour,  it  serves  to  make  pud- 
dings. Boiled  and  then  dried,  it  is  worm-proof,  and 
keeps  a  very  long  time  ;  in  this  state  it  is  called  hosJii. 

Glutinous  rice  is  utilised  for  the  making  of  cakes 
and  the  liquor  called  mirin.  From  it  is  also  extract- 
ed starch  for  dyeing,  and  an  imitation  of  glass. 

With  rice  straw  they  make  roofings,  paper,  cords, 
mats,  sandals,  brooms,  hats ;  they  give  it  to  the 
horses  as  fodder  ;  it  is  excellent  bedding  for  animals  ; 
rotted  it  makes  manure. 

Rice  is  the  wealth  of  Japan  ;  it  is  the  basis  of  their 
nourishment. 

A  satirical  picture  represents  the  struggle  of  native 
products  with  imports  ;  these  latter  triumph  over  all 
except  rice,  which  routs  all  its  competitors. 

It  is  sown  broadcast  and  covered  with  water  by 
night  to  the  depth  of  one  half  to  two  inches,  the 
height  the  plant  attains  at  the  end  of  fifty  days. 

It  is  then  transplanted  in  little  bunches,  that  are 
later  on  easily  cut  with  a  sickle. 


Viands.  1 8  7 


They  also  cultivate  a  species  of  rice  in  the  dry 
lands,  but  it  is  of  inferior  quality,  and  called  field 
rice. 

Nothing  is  so  charming  as  the  aspect  of  the  rice 
plantations.  In  an  amphitheatre  of  hills  fenced  with 
tortuous  pines,  groups  of  men  and  women  are  seen 
bent  at  work,  deep  in  water. 

The  land  is  marked  off  like  an  immense  checquer- 
board,  whose  somewhat  oblong  squares  are  separated 
by  roads  elevated  a  little  above  the  submerged  and 
cultivated  soil. 

It  is  the  time  of  transplanting,  and  people  are 
bustling  about  under  the  bright  sunshine,  enlivening 
the  landscape.  At  wide  intervals  you  perceive  the 
scarecrows.  Some  are  formed  of  a  board  on  which 
hang  thin  wooden  plates  clacking  in  the  wind. 
Others  represent  a  peasant  with  his  bent  bow,  his 
cloak  and  straw  hat. 

All  this  peaceful  verdure  with  its  soft  shades  con- 
trasts agreeably  with  the  more  sombre  sweep  of  trees 
superbly  encircling  this  fresh  valley. 

CEREALS   AND   VEGETABLES. 

From  the  flour  of  barley,  wheat,  and  rye,  are  made 
cakes  and  a  sort  of  bread. 

The  straw  is  fashioned  into  a  multitude  of  small 
objects,  and  it  is  also  made  into  hats  and  mantles  for 
watermen  and  peasants.  Then  it  covers  roofs,  etc. 


1 8  8  Food-  Supplies. 


Millet  and  buckwheat  are  the  usual  food  of  people 
in  the  country. 

Maize  is  eaten  boiled  or  roasted  on  the  cob,  or  in 
flour. 

Mame  (haricot)  is  eaten  cooked  or  ground  into 
flour.  All  the  waste,  husks,  stalks,  and  leaves  are 
used  as  fodder  for  horses. 

Azuki  (Phaseolus  mungo)  is  used  to  make  cakes, 
the  flour  has  the  property  of  removing  grease  stains 
from  cloth. 

The  roots  of  the  lotos  (Nelnmbium  speciosum)  are 
a  very  delicate  fare  ;  they  furnish  not  only  food,  but 
also  starch. 

Daikon,  a  sort  of  radish,  is  used  boiled,  then  dried 
or  grated.  The  leaves  are  also  eaten. 

Carrots  of  various  species  are  eaten  fresh  or  salted, 
as  also  the  leaves,  which  are  called  haningin. 

Gobo  ( Lappa  edulus)  is  preserved,  or  is  prepared 
by  cooking. 

Sweet  potatoes  are  delicious,  boiled  or  roasted  ; 
eau-de-vie  and  starch  are  extracted  from  them. 

Kashu  ( Dioscorea  Japonic  a  var.),  Naga  imo  ( Dios- 
corea  Japonica  var.),  Jinen  jo  (Dioscorea  Japonica 
var.),  and  Tsuku  imo  (Japonica),  are  tubercles  that  are 
cooked.  By  grating  and  pounding,  there  is  obtained 
a  kind  of  oatmeal  eaten  with  a  sauce.  Starch  is  like- 
wise obtained. 

Imo  (Colocasia  antiquorum),   of  which    there    is  a 


Viands.  189 


number  of  varieties,  is  eaten  cooked.  It  is  also  dried 
for  keeping. 

In  the  springtime  the  tubers  are  covered  with 
earth  to  make  them  germinate,  and  the  little  sprouts 
are  eaten.  In  the  variety  called  Haso  imo,  the  stalk 
only  is  eaten.  Another  variety,  Koniaku  (Amor- 
phallus  konjac)  gives  an  excellent  fecula. 

Kurwai  (Sagittaria  sinensis)  sprouts  in  marshy 
land,  and  is  eaten  cooked,  as  is  also  the  kuro  guwai. 

The  roots  of  the  wild  and  of  the  cultivated  lilies 
furnish  a  very  good  food.  Those  of  the  cultivated 
lilies  are  bitter,  and  yield  a  fecula  which  keeps. 

The  tuber-like  roots  of  Choro-gi  (Stachys  affinis) 
resemble  caterpillars.  They  are  preserved  in  plum- 
vinegar,  as  are  also  the  bulbs  of  garlic  and  of  onions. 

Fudenso,  literally,  irrepressible  herb  (Chrysanthe- 
mum coronarium),  is  a  good  vegetable ;  its  name 
comes  from  the  fact  that  its  leaves  shoot  up  again  as 
fast  as  they  are  plucked. 

Tissa  (lettuce)  is  good  raw  or  cooked. 

Mitsu  ba  (  Crypt  oloenia  canadensis)  and  Udo  (Ara- 
lia  cdulis)  are  got  by  covering  in  winter  their  roots 
with  a  vegetable  manure.  The  first  yields  a  kind  of 
apple,  the  second  edible  shoots  and  buds  used  in  the 
way  of  spice. 

The  young  leaves  of  the  Junsa'i  (Braseniapeltata), 
which  grows  wild  in  the  bogs  and  ponds,  are  eaten 
raw  or  cooked. 


1 90  Food-  Supplies. 


Onion  cooked  is  considered  a  vegetable ;  chopped 
raw  while  still  green,  it  is  a  condiment. 

Haha  hige  (Kochia  scoparia)  and  Akaza  (Chenopo- 
dium  album)  are  plants  of  which  everything  is  used. 
The  young  leaves  are  edible.  The  stalks  and 
branches  of  the  former,  once  dried,  make  brooms ; 
the  stalks  of  the  latter,  walking  sticks. 

Warabi  (Pteris  aquilina),  Zemmai  (Osmunda  re- 
galis),  Mioga  (Zingiber  mioga)  are  valuable  wild 
plants  ;  the  young  stalks  are  cooked  or  salted  to  keep 
them  ;  the  roots  yield  starch  ;  the  ,old  stalks  make 
cords. 

Nasu  (Aubergine)  of  a  violet  black,  with  varieties 
of  white,  yellow,  or  green,  is  a  vegetable  highly  appre- 
ciated ;  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  resources  of  the 
Japanese  kitchen. 

Fuki  (Pctasites  Japonicus)  grows  in  a  wild  state, 
but  is  also  cultivated  ;  it  is  an  agreeable  vegetable, 
whose  flowers  serve  for  spices  under  the  name  of 
Fuki  nota. 

The  flowers  of  the  Rioki  kiku  (Pyrethrum  sinense) 
are  eaten  with  vinegar  and  sugar.  Dried,  they 
keep. 

The  kernel  of  the  Chosen  mugi  (Coix  lacJiryma) 
yields  farina. 

The  roots  of  the  Kudzu  (Pueraria  Thunbergiania), 
a  valuable  wild  plant,  furnish  starch  ;  its  leaves  are 
suitable  for  fodder ;  its  fibres  are  used  for  textiles. 


Viands.  191 


Several  of  the  vegetables  just  passed  in  review  at- 
tain extraordinary  dimensions.  It  is  the  same  with 
the  curcurbitaceous  plants,  amongst  which  it  is 
proper  to  mention  the  Kuiri  (cucumber),  the  Ma- 
kourouri  (melon),  the  Tonasou  (pumpkin),  etc. 

MARINE   PLANTS. 

From  the  long  foregoing  recital  of  roots  and 
leaves  disdained  by  us,  but  appropriated  as  food  by 
the  Japanese,  and  from  the  great  number  of  wild 
plants  utilised  by  them,  it  seems  fair  to  infer  that  in 
earlier  times  Japan  was  subject  to  frequent  dearths, 
which  drove  the  inhabitants  to  search,  with  their 
habitual  ingenuity,  for  edible  plants.  Such  dearths 
were  bound  to  arise  in  a  country  where  there  were 
so  few  cattle  and  where,  before  the  opening  of  their 
ports  to  foreign  commerce,  the  inhabitants  were 
entirely  dependent  for  subsistence  on  the  products  of 
their  own  soil. 

When  the  harvest  failed  and  the  rigours  of  famine 
were  felt,  nowhere  was  the  art  of  culinary  appropria- 
tion pushed  farther,  and  a  great  many  things  else- 
where disdained  or  unknown  were  utilised.  Hence 
the  great  quantity  of  marine  plants  that  the  Japanese 
have  made  use  of  for  food.  Here  are  some  of 
them  : 

Porphyra  vulgaris.  In  order  to  gather  this  plant, 
they  sink,  into  the  sea-beach,  branches,  which  arrest 


1 9  2  Food-  Supplies. 


the  Algce.  These  grow  upon  the  branches,  and  are 
harvested  at  maturity. 

Alaria  pinnatifida  is  dr'ed  as  a  commercial 
product. 

Laminaria  saccharina  is  eaten  boiled,  grilled,  or 
dried,  or,  again,  reduced  to  thin  slices.  Much  is 
exported  to  China. 

Capea  Elongata  is  dried,  and  keeps  a  very  long 
time.  This  plant  has  rendered  great  service  during 
times  of  famine/ 

Cystoseira  and  Enteromorpha  compressa  are  likewise 
dried,  and  keep. 

Gclidiwn  contemn  keeps  dried,  after  having  been 
well  washed  in  fresh  water.  For  eating  it  is  plunged 
into  boiling  water,  in  which  it  dissolves.  The 
liquid  is  filtered  and  left  to  cool ;  this  forms  a  jelly 
that  is  cut.  It  is  a  dish  reserved  for  very  hot 
weather. 

When  it  is  required  to  be  kept  for  the  following 
summer  the  jelly  is  exposed  to  the  cold  of  a  winter 
night  ;  it  congeals  and  hardens. 

It  is  also  utilised  for  pastry  and  for  certain  dishes. 

Apart  from  all  this  the  plant  serves  for  the  fabrica- 
tion of  paper  and  for  many  other  things. 

Holochloa  macrantha  is  salted  and  eaten  with 
vinegar. 

Kallimenia  deutata,  Phillederum  sacrum,  Nemalion 
vermiculara,  Mesogloia  dccipiens,  Codium  tomcntosum 


Viands.  193 


are  eaten  dry  or  salted.      The  Japanese  frequently 
use  ashes  for  their  preservation. 

FISH. 

The  numerous  water-courses  which  furrow  Japan, 
and  especially  the  sea  which  washes  her  coast,  con- 
stitute for  her  an  immense  food-store,  inexhaustible, 
sufficient  to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  ichthyophagist. 

There  is  an  enormous  consumption  of  fish,  some 
of  them  excellent.  The  tat,  equal  to  the  most  re- 
nowned species,  occupies  the  first  rank.  Then  follow  : 

Luzuki,  that  is  caught  more  especially  at  the  mouths 
of  rivers. 

The  Katsuwo  and  the  Namako,  to  be  kept,  are 
steamed  ;  then  dried.  The  latter  is  eaten  also  raw. 

The  Ayu,  the  Fuma,  a  sort  of  carp,  keep  grilled 
and  dried. 

The  Uni  is  eaten  salted,  and  keeps. 

The  Skira  uwo,  a  little  fish  of  very  delicate 
eating. 

The  Sake  is  salted  and  smoked.  Salted,  it  is  the 
Skiwo  biki ;  smoked,  it  is  the  Fusube  sake. 

The  Nishin  (herring)  is  salted  and  smoked ;  the 
roe  is  eaten  dried.  It  is  called  Kazu  noko. 

The  Tako  and  the  Sidako  are  eaten  fresh,  but  may 
be  dried  for  preserving  and  for  exportation. 

The  Koi,  a  very  large  fresh-water  fish,  is  very 
savoury. 

'3 


1 94  Food-  Supplies. 


The  Tara  (cod)  is  eaten  salted  or  dried  ;  its  oil  is 
used  as  a  medicine. 

The  Namako  is  eaten  raw.  China  consumes  a 
great  quantity  of  this  fish.  For  export,  it  is  steamed 
and  then  dried. 

The  roe  of  many  fishes  forms  a  sort  of  caviare, 
that  is  called  Karasumi. 

The  Suppon  is  an  exquisite  turtle. 

The  he  Yebi  is  a  large  fresh-water  cray-fish  that  is 
desiccated  for  keeping. 

The  Avabi,  the  shell  of  which  serves  as  an  ornament, 
is  a  big  shell-fish,  which  is  dried  whole  and  exported 
in  quantities  to  China  under  the  name  of  Hoshi  awabi. 
It  may  also  be  dried  in  thin  slices,  the  same  as  the 
Sazce,  the  shell  of  which  serves  the  same  purposes. 

The  Hamaguri  is  very  small.  Its  shell  is  also 
frequently  utilised. 

The  Fugu  is  a  venomous  fish,  ugly  and  deformed. 
The  powerful  poison  it  yields  is  such  that  Japanese, 
weary  of  life,  have  recourse  to  it  in  preference  to 
all  other  modes  of  suicide.  The  effect  is  fatal,  not 
quite  half  an  hour  after  ingestion. 

FRUITS. 

Japan  possesses  several  varieties  of  the  banana? 
two  of  which,  in  addition  to  their  fruit,  yield  a  fibre 
suitable  for  making  textiles.  The  banana  tree  is  only 
found  in  very  hot  regions. 


Viands.  195 


The  Mume  (plum-tree)  possesses  a  host  of  various 
qualities,  turned  to  the  best  account.  The  plums 
keep  by  salting ;  they  are  made  into  preserves  and 
into  eau-de-vie.  The  flowers,  salted,  are  used  as  a 
kind  of  tea. 

The  salt  water  used  to  keep  the  plums  takes  a 
sharp  taste,  and  is  known  as  plum-vinegar.  It  is 
used  to  preserve  vegetables  and  for  colouring  metal. 

The  Momo  (peach)  is  divided  into  several  species, 
of  which  one,  the  Kan  momo,  is  very  choice,  for  its 
fruits,  after  maturity,  keep  on  the  tree  until  winter. 

The  Ringo  (apple),  the  N&shi($ttx),\h£,Hebiitsigo 
(strawberry)  have  excellent  fruits. 

The  very  acrid  fruits  of  the  Kuwarin  (quince)  are 
cooked  with  honey  and  ginger. 

The  Biwa  (Bibacier)  yields  little  yellow  fruits 
which  are  eaten  raw  ;  those  of  the  Nagabiwa,  of  the 
same  family,  are  oval. 

The  Natsume  (jujube),  the  Kemponashi  (Hovenia 
dulcis),  the  Toshi,  the  Icho  (Ginkgo  biloba),  the 
Hashi-bami  (hazel-nut),  the  Shii  (Quercus  cuspidata), 
the  Hischi  ( Trapa  cispinosa),  all  yield  edible  fruits 
under  various  forms.  The  last  is  aquatic,  its  name 
signifying  floating  water  caltrop. 

The  fruits  of  the  Kay  a  (Torreya  nucifera)  are 
used  to  make  cakes,  and  yield  oil. 

The  Kurumi  (walnut)  produces  good  nuts,  from 
which  oil  is  extracted. 


1 96  Food-  Supplies. 


The  same  use  is  made  as  in  Europe  of  the  nuts  of 
the  Kuri  (chestnut)  ;  one  of  its  varieties,  the  Sando 
guri,  yields  up  to  three  crops  annually. 

Several  species  of  Yakuso  (pomegranate)  and  of 
Mikan  (orange)  yield  good  fruits.  The  Unshumikan 
produces  big  oranges  without  pips,  like  those  of 
Bahia,  Brazil. 

The  Kaki  (Diospyros  Kaki)  has  both  sweet  and 
bitter  fruit ;  the  former  are  eaten  raw,  the  latter  be- 
come more  palatable  after  being  hung  up  for  a  cer- 
tain time  in  a  hogshead  that  has  contained  sakd,  or, 
again,  by  placing  them  in  a  new  hogshead  and  pour- 
ing over  them  hot  water  aromatised  with  the  leaves 
of  Tadt. 

One  variety  of  Kaki,  the  Shinano  Kaki,  yields  the 
shibu  (varnish  employed  for  diverse  uses,  notably  in 
making  lacquer). 

The  grape  (Budo)  is  known  in  Japan.  One  wild 
variety,  the  Yamabudo,  grows  in  the  mountains  and 
in  cold  climates  ;  it  is  a  valued  resource  for  the  in- 
habitants, despite  the  inferiority  of  its  fruits. 

MUSHROOMS. 

All  varieties  of  mushrooms  grow  wild,  except  the 
Shiitake,  which  is  obtained  in  the  following  manner : 

Incisions  are  made  in  the  trunk  of  the  Shu,  which 
is  watered  and  left  in  a  dark  place. 


Viands.  197 


Soon  mushrooms  may  be  seen  appearing,  which 
are  called  according  to  the  season  of  their  growth — 
in  springtime  Haruko,  in  summer  Natsuko,  in  autumn 
Akito.  Dried,  they  keep  a  long  time. 

The  Shoro  and  the  Natsutakt  grow  in  the  pine 
forests  ;  the  first  prefers  sandy  soil.  The  Skimeji 
funji  and  the  Hadsudakt,  grow  indifferently  in  forests 
or  on  the  plains. 

The  Kawatakc'  grows  in  the  woods  in  the  most 
profound  shade  ;  its  perfume  is  very  agreeable,  its 
flavour  exquisite  ;  it  is  dried  to  keep. 

The  Kikuragt  grows  under  no  matter  what  tree, 
but  the  best  are  found  under  the  shade  of  the  mul- 
berry, of  the  Nire,  and  of  the  Niwa  toka. 

The  Iwatake  is  found  only  in  the  rugged  moun- 
tains and  on  steep  rocks  ;  it  is  dried  to  keep. 

There  are  still  a  dozen  species,  but  they  do  not 
present  any  particularity. 

SPICES,    CONDIMENTS,    OIL,   AND    HONEY. 

The  Shoyu  of  all  the  sauces  is  the  most  in  request. 
It  is  prepared  as  follows : 

The  hulled  wheat  is  roasted  and  cruched  ;  to  it  is 
added  oily  peas  ( Sofa  hispida),  boiled  and  cooled. 
This  mixture  is  left  in  a  hot  chamber,  and  becomes 
yeast  ;  to  it  is  added  salt  in  rather  large  quantity, 
after  it  has  undergone  a  certain  preparation  with  a 
view  to  purify  the  mixture. 


1 98  Food-Supplies. 


This  yeast,  stirred  three  times  a  day  for  three 
months,  becomes  doughy.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
it  is  put  in  cotton  bags,  through  which  the  liquid  is 
filtered. 

It  is  then  boiled  and  recooled,  separated  from  the 
lees,  and  placed,  to  keep,  in  little  barrels. 

The  residue,  mixed  with  water  and  some  salt, 
boiled,  then  settled,  and  filtered,  serves  again  by 
mixing  in  certain  preparations,  for  an  inferior  quality 
of  shoyu. 

They  employ  in  cooking  dinner  : 

Hempseed  and  keshi  (poppy)  seeds  roasted. 

Tade*  (Polygonum  japonicum),  natural  or  salted, 
green,  rasped,  and  mixed  with  vinegar  ;  it  is  used  as 
a  sauce  for  fish. 

Chimpi  (dried  orange-peel). 

Citron,  flowers,  and  fruit. 

Shoga  (ginger),  raw  or  dried  in  powder  ;  it  can  be 
salted  and  preserved. 

Wasabi  (  Tutrema  wasabi),  leaves  and  roots. 

Togarashi  (allspice),  raw,  roasted,  or  salted. 

Sansho  ( Xant ho xy Ion  piper itum).  All  of  this  plant 
is  used,  the  leaves  and  seeds,  and  even  the  sap-wood 
is  boiled. 

OILS. — The  Tojin  mame"  ( Arachis  hypogda)  and 
the  Goma  (Sesamum  indicum)  yield  an  edible  oil, 


Drinks.  1 99 


used  also  for  lighting.     Their  seeds   are   eaten  also 
roasted. 

Several  sorts  of  camelias  yield  oil,  sometimes 
edible,  when  prepared  for  the  purpose. 

HONEY. — The  honey  extracted  from  the  beehives 
is  called  Mitsuro. 

DRINKS. 
TEA. 

In  this  country  of  marvels,  where  everything  has 
its  legend,  tea,  too,  has  its  legend,  which  is  worthy  of 
being  narrated. 

Dharma,  a  celebrated  hermit,  in  great  odour  of 
sanctity  in  Japan  and  China,  was  such  a  severe 
observer  of  the  very  hard  rule  he  had  imposed  on 
himself  that  his  limbs  rotted  without  his  perceiving 
it,  for  he  had  remained  seated  on  the  hard  ground 
fourteen  years  without  moving. 

He  had  forbidden  himself  sleep.  One  night,  how- 
ever, he  fell  asleep  and  did  not  waken  until  day. 
Indignant  with  himself  for  having  been  betrayed  into 
such  weakness,  he  cut  off  his  eyelashes  and  threw 
them  far  from  him,  as  miserable  tempters,  sullying 
the  sanctity  to  which  he  aspired. 

Then  a  miracle  happened.  His  eyelashes  took 
root  in  the  place  where  they  had  fallen  and  a  bush 


2OO  Food- Supplies. 


shot  forth,  bearing  leaves  which  the  people  of  the 
country  picked,  and  whereof  they  made  an  aromatic 
infusion  which  chases  away  sleep. 

It  was  in  the  year  1200  that  a  Buddhist  priest, 
named  Esei,  brought  from  China  the.  seed  of  tea, 
which  he  sowed  on  the  mountain  of  Sifuri  in  the 
province  of  Chikuzan. 

This  culture  succeeded,  and  the  use  of  the  tea 
became  so  general  that  in  the  year  1400  a  Shdgun 
ordered  a  nobleman  of  his  suite  to  lay  out  new  and 
immense  plantations. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  said  that  tea  was  known  as 
early  as  the  year  729  as  a  very  costly  rarity,  reserved 
for  high  personages  upon  occasions  of  great  solemnity. 

Originally,  the  tea-leaves  were  pulverised,  after 
having  been  plunged  in  boiling  water  and  dried  in 
the  sun.  This  tea  was  named  Udeaha. 

It  was  in  1570  that  a  merchant  invented  an  ap- 
paratus for  withering  the  leaves.  This  apparatus, 
called  Hairo,  did  not  come  into  general  use  until 
much  later.  Nowadays,  by  reason  of  the  extension 
of  its  exportation,  they  have  adopted  the  Chinese 
methods,  which  are  much  more  expeditious.  The 
same  merchant  invented,  also,  the  treillage,  which 
protects  the  shrub  against  the  white  frosts  of  winter. 
In  Japan  everybody  takes  tea  several  times  a  day  ; 
it  is  offered  to  every  visitor  ;  it  is  almost  as  indispen- 


Drinks.  20 1 


sable  as  rice.  For  ordinary  purposes  the  tea  is  used 
in  leaf. 

Powdered  tea  is  reserved  for  the  ceremony  of 
Tcha-no-yu,  of  which  we  are  going  to  speak.  This 
tea  is  literally  pulverised,  properly  to  an  impalpable 
fineness  ;  it  is  divided  into  two  qualities,  the  Ko'i  Cha 
and  the  Usu  Clia. 

Sourimonos  have  bequeathed  to  us  some  documents 
relative  to  the  Tcha-no-yu  custom,  which  has  for  its 
object  the  tightening  of  the  bonds  of  friendship. 

Books  contain  but  little  information  concerning 
this  ancient  ceremony,  which  is  not  lacking  either  in 
grandeur  or  in  character. 

The  preparation  of  the  tea  (tcha)  has  its  high 
priests,  called  Tcha-jin,  who  study  the  art  of  serving 
tea  with  great  ceremony,  as  formerly  etiquette  was 
studied  in  a  sovereign  court  of  Europe. 

They  have,  besides,  to  deal  with  fine  connoisseurs, 
whose  observation  not  a  fault  would  escape. 

For  the  Tcha-no-yu,  the  Japanese  require  the  uten- 
sils to  be  of  ancient  pottery,  and  to  come  from  the 
hands  of  well-known  artists ;  their  eye  is  especially 
educated  to  distinguish  them. 

Powdered  tea  of  the  first  quality,  reserved  for  these 
august  solemnities,  is  shut  up  in  a  double  well-closed 
case.  Often  even  the  space  between  the  cases  is 
filled  with  ordinary  tea,  to  concentrate  the  better  the 
bouquet  of  the  interior  one. 


2O2 


Food-  Supplies. 


The  meeting  is  held  in  a  special  room  ;  when  pos- 
sible, in  an  isolated  pavilion  in  the  garden — the 
Tcha-Seki — a  pavilion  containing  one  saloon  and  an 
ante-chamber,  and  a  cabinet  called  the  midzu-ya. 

Not  a  single  servitor  aids  the  master  of  the  house 
to  do  the  honours ;  he  must  prepare  everything 
himself. 

First  of  all  he  fetches  forth  from  the   midzu-ya  all 


the  necessary  utensils,  and  these  are  very  numerous. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  principal  ones  : 

(1)  Box  with  incense  (Ko-bako). 

(2)  Box  containing  paper  and  inkstand. 

(3)  A  basket  with  select  pieces  of  charcoal. 

(4)  A  brush  for  perfectly  cleaning  each  article. 

(5)  A  fan  formed  of  three  feathers  (mitzu-ba)  to 
quicken  the  fire. 


Drinks. 


203 


(6)  Tongs  (hibachi). 

(7)  A   bowl  (hi-ire)  with  hot   ashes,  for  burning 
the  incense  ;  the  combustion   is  promoted   with  the 
tongs  (hibachi).     The  perfumes  are  burned  to  over- 
power the  fumes  of  the  charcoal. 

(8)  Ring  handles  ( Kama-shiki)  to  hold  the  kettle 
etc.,  etc. 


As  a  rule,  the  tea  ceremony  may  not  last  more 
than  two  hours,  in  the  course  of  which  there  must 
be  no  question  raised  either  of  religion  or  of  politics  ; 
personal  scandals  are  also  severely  excluded  from 
the  conversation,  and  the  most  complete  equality 
reigns  among  the  guests,  no  matter  what  their  rank. 

The  guests,  who  must  not  number  more  than  six, 
commence  by  examining  the  perfumes,  and  by  com- 


204  Food- Supplies. 


plimenting  the  host  upon  their  quality,  and  on  the 
beauty  of  the  box  containing  them. 

This  is,  according  to  the  season,  in  lacquer  or  in 
faience,  with  a  view,  doubtless,  to  the  best  preserva- 
tion of  the  contents. 

The  master  of  the  house  washes  the  cups  himself, 
and  wipes  them  with  a  fukussa,  a  little  square  piece 
of  silk  stuff,  very  costly,  which  is  enclosed  in  a  case 
or  tube  of  precious  porcelain. 

The  table  upon  which  all  these  preparations  are 
made  is  of  mulberry  wood  and  stands  about  two  feet 
high. 

On  this  the  host  places  the  midzu-ire'  full  of  pure 
water,  the  tcha-van,  teapot,  which,  whether  in  faience 
or  in  porcelain,  is  always  of  great  value  for  its  an- 
tiquity ;  then  the  tcha-ire1,  an  earthen  jar  with  ivory 
lid,  enclosed  in  a  cover  of  antique  brocade,  from 
which  is  taken  the  powdered  tea  with  a  bamboo  spoon. 
The  tea  being  placed  in  a  bowl,  boiling  water  is 
poured  over  it,  and  it  is  stirred  with  a  bamboo 
whisk.  The  bowl  is  then  offered  to  the  chief  guest, 
who  partakes  thereof,  and  passes  it  to  the  second, 
who  passes  it  to  the  third,  and  so  on.  In  this  decoc- 
tion the  powder  also  of  the  tea  is  drunk. 

The  Tcha-jin  have  their  exclusive  utensils,  enclosed 
in  a  lacquered  box  called  nassume  ;  it  contains  a  part 
of  the  articles  previously  described.  When  one  has 
the  Tcha-no-yu  presided  over  by  a  Tcha-jin  the  master 


Drinks.  205 


of  the  house  takes  the  passive  rdle  of  a  guest  ;  but 
the  ceremony  is  much  more  appreciated  and  the 
guests  feel  themselves  much  more  honoured  when 
it  is  the  master  himself  who  officiates. 

The  Tcha-jin  are  well  compensated,  but  in  a  dis- 
creet fashion.  Not  as  a  fixed  price,  but  in  the  form 
of  a  present,  the  master  offers  them  whatever  he  can 
afford,  somewhat  after  the  fashion  in  which  in  France 
one  rewards  the  most  distinguished  artists. 

Women  have  also  their  Tcha-no-yu,  differing  but 
slightly  from  the  men's. 

For  ordinary  usage  the  tea  is  prepared  in  another 
way.  The  tea  is  put  into  the  teapot,  which  has 
been  carefully  scalded  ;  upon  it  is  poured  a  little 
water,  having  boiled,  but  no  longer  boiling ;  it  is  stirred 
with  a  whisk.  This  first  water,  which  absorbs  the 
bitterness  of  the  tea,  is  thrown  away  ;  then  there  is 
poured  upon  the  tea  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water 
of  the  temperature  previously  indicated,  and  it  is 
left  to  infuse  for  five  minutes. 

The  tea  is  propagated  only  by  seed.  It  requires 
a  temperate  climate  and  the  vicinity  of  watercourses. 
A  slight  slope  is  preferable. 

The  seeds  are  sown  in  a  circle,  are  covered  with 
earth,  then  with  a  bed  of  rice  bran,  which  protects 
them  from  the  white  frosts. 

The  gathering  is  made  at  the  beginning  of  sum- 


206  Food-  Supplies. 


mer,  when  the  young  leaves  are  plucked  ;  a  fresh 
plucking  is  made  at  the  end  of  a  month. 

The  ingathering  is  taken  to  the  place  where  it  is 
submitted  to  various  preparations. 

At  first  the  leaves  are  picked,  then  subjected  to 
the  action  of  steam,  by  placing  them  on  a  screen 
over  a  vat  filled  with  hot  water  at  a  temperature  of 
200°.  The  screen  is  covered  fifteen  seconds  for  the 
leaf  tea  and  thirty  seconds  for  the  powdered  tea. 

The  tea  leaves  are  then  turned,  fanned,  and  placed 
in  a  basket  in  order  to  cool.  They  are  again  fanned 
to  prevent  their  becoming  yellow  and  losing  their 
aroma. 

The  hotro,  apparatus  for  drawing  tea,  is  of  oblong 
rectangular  form.  The  outside  case  is  of  wood  ;  the 
interior  is  roughly  lined.  Charcoal  of  hard  and  soft 
wood  is  lighted  ;  on  this  is  burned  some  straw,  the 
ashes  of  which  temper  the  too  direct  action  of  the 
fire. 

Above  the  fireplace  are  iron  bars  sustaining  a  grid- 
iron of  copper  wire,  on  which  is  placed  a  drying-pan 
made  of  paper  and  wood. 

The  leaves  are  put  in  the  dryer  and  rolled  between 
the  palms  of  the  hands,  a  process  which  is  repeated 
until  they  become  crisp  and  curled  and  pretty  nearly 
dry  ;  then  they  are  transferred  to  another  kozro 
where  the  fire  is  less  hot,  in  order  to  complete 
their  desiccation. 


Drinks.  207 


Afterwards  the  leaves  are  put  into  a  copper-wire 
screen  and  rubbed  with  the  palm  of  the  hand  to 
separate  the  petioles  from  them  ;  they  are  then  win- 
nowed and  assorted  into  three  qualities  that  are  more 
or  less  finely  screened. 

There  are  ten  sorts  of  bamboo  screens,  of  graduated 
fineness. 

The  common  tea  is  screened  once  ;  the  superior 
teas,  five  to  seven  times  ;  the  powdered  tea,  up  to  as 
many  as  ten  times.  The  preparation  of  this  last 
quality  is  much  more  minute  also  in  other  respects. 
It  is  very  difficult  to  retain  the  aroma  and  colour  of 
powdered  tea. 

In  July,  after  the  first  processes  are  complete,  it  is 
subjected  for  several  hours  to  the  action  of  a  gentle 
fire ;  then  it  is  spread  upon  a  platter,  and  stirred  to 
re-cool  it.  Next,  it  is  put  into  a  jar,  that  is  shaken 
to  make  it  settle.  This  is  corked  up  and  covered 
over  with  several  sheets  of  paper,  which  are  tied 
round  the  neck.  The  jar  is  then  carried  to  the  first 
floor  of  the  storehouse,  into  a  chamber  well  aired, 
where  it  remains  protected  from  the  heat  and 
humidity. 

In  the  month  of  August  it  is  subjected  again  to  the 
action  of  a  gentle  fire  to  re-dry  it,  and  this  operation 
is  repeated  in  the  following  November,  February,  and 
March.  It  is  then  dried  five  times,  and  so  prepared 
it  keeps  perfectly  till  the  following  harvest. 


208  Food-Supplies. 


The  quality  of  the  jars  has  much  to  do  with  the 
preservation  of  the  tea ;  it  is  necessary  that  the  paste 
be  fine  and  well  baked. 

The  best  are  those  of  Koshigaraki-Kobizen,  and 
of  Kotamba. 

For  transportation  by  land,  it  is  sufficient  to  enclose 
tea  in  boxes  of  Kiri  wood  (Paulowina  imperialis). 
For  shipment  by  sea,  the  tea  is  enclosed  in  tin-plate, 
encased  in  the  wood  of  the  Cryptomeria  japonica. 

In  small  quantities  it  can  be  kept  in  glass  flasks, 
corked  with  pitch.  These  flasks  may  be  kept  in  the 
water  of  a  well  or  of  a  spring. 

Powdered  tea,  so  difficult  to  preserve,  is  kept  in  a 
pewter  flask,  hermetically  sealed,  which  is  enclosed  in 
a  kiri  box,  in  which  it  is  surrounded  with  common 
tea.  This  method  of  preservation  is  also  employed 
to  keep  superior  leaf  tea. 

SAKE. 

SakJ  is  an  essentially  Japanese  liquor.  It  is  an 
eau-de-vie,  made  with  rice.  The  best  sake's  are  those 
from  Ik£da  and  Itami. 

In  its  manufacture  they  first  of  all  hull  excellent 
rice,  wash  it  four  times  in  plenty  of  water  in  a  cask  ; 
then  throw  it  into  a  panier,  where  it  is  again  rinsed 
with  clean  water.  It  is  then  turned  into  another 
cask,  where  it  remains  in  water  for  six  hours  ;  then 
it  is  taken  out,  and  subjected  to  the  action  of 


Drinks.  209 


steam.  Afterwards  it  is  spread  out  upon  mats  to 
cool  a  little. 

It  is  then  enveloped  in  mats  and  carried  to  a  cel- 
lar where  the  temperature  would  be  eighty  degrees. 
It  is  mixed  with  some  mouldy  rice,  and  at  the  end  of 
a  day  the  whole  mass  is  covered  with  mould. 

It  may  now  be  fermented  in  two  ways,  yielding 
two  different  liquors,  the  one  named  Moto,  the  other 


The  first  fermentation  is  procured  by  a  mixture 
of  the  rice  with  water  and  yeast.  It  lasts  ten  days 
in  summer  and  twenty  days  in  winter.  The  second 
is  procured  with  a  mixture  of  must,  rice,  yeast,  and 
water. 

This  mixture  is  stirred  five  or  six  times  a  day  with 
a  huge  spoon  ;  the  fermentation  begins  at  once.  At 
the  end  of  six  days,  it  is  poured  into  another  vat,  and 
the  fermentation  is  arrested.  The  liquid  then  takes 
a  sweet  taste.  It  is  allowed  to  remain  twelve  days, 
completely  cooled,  and  filtered  through  cotton  bags. 

The  lees  are  allowed  to  settle,  the  liquid  is  decanted 
and  boiled,  and  kept  in  casks  hermetically  closed. 

The  Shiro  mirin  is  a  sweet  sake,  indispensable  for 
seasoning  Japanese  dishes.  Instead  of  ordinary  rice, 
it  is  made  from  glutinous  rice. 

After  the  preliminary  preparations  of  washing  and 
steaming,  described  above,  the  rice  is  spread  upon 
mats,  then,  when  sufficiently  cooled,  it  is  mixed 

«4 


2 1  o  Food-  Supplies. 


with  yeast  and  spirits  of  wine.  It  is  shaken  in  a 
well  corked  cask,  and  this  operation  is  repeated 
every  eighth  day  during  two  months. 

It  is  decanted,  filtered,  and  placed  in  another 
cask,  where  it  rests  fifteen  days. 

By  adding  a  certain  quantity  of  kumenshu,  which 
is  nothing  else  than  shiro  mirin  greatly  reduced  by 
boiling,  a  fine  reddish  hue  is  imparted  to  it. 

The  liquor  called  Yoro-shu,  is  mirin  mixed  with 
aromatic  plants. 

TOSSO. 

Tosso  is  a  beverage  that  is  rarely  used  except 
on  certain  fetes,  more  particularly  New  Year's 
Day.  A  trifle  bitter  to  the  taste,  the  Japanese 
think  it  has  an  agreeable  bouquet. 

In  default  of  precise  information  on  the  nature 
of  the  plants  which  enter  into  its  composition — we 
only  know  that  cinnamon  is  one  of  its  ingredients 
—we  give  the  legend  of  tosso  : 

Of  yore  there  lived  in  a  grotto  of  China  a  recluse, 
whose  sole  occupation  was  the  study  of  the  philoso- 
phy of  Laotseu. 

One  day  an  old  beggar  came  and  asked  him  for 
something  to  eat  and  drink. 

Having  received  from  the  hermit  a  hearty  welcome, 
the  old  beggar,  before  resuming  his  journey,  spoke 
these  words  : 


Tobacco.  2 1 1 


"  I  am  the  god  of  epidemic  maladies.  Every  time 
that  a  people  is  attacked  by  one  of  these  maladies 
they  owe  it  to  me,  and  no  one  until  now  has  discov- 
ered the  remedy.  Very  well !  In  exchange  for  the 
services  that  you  have  rendered  me,  I  will  inform 
you  of  a  very  efficacious  way  to  protect  yourself 
from  such  disaster." 

He  then  pointed  out  to  him  certain  plants,  as  well 
as  the  mode  of  treating  them  in  order  to  extract  from 
them  a  sort  of  elixir,  which,  drunk  on  the  first  of 
January,  would  insure  him  perfect  immunity  for  the 
entire  year. 

Left  to  himself,  the  recluse  had  no  more  pressing 
impulse  than  that  of  sharing  the  precious  recipe, 
which  had  just  been  confided  to  him,  with  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  neighborhood.  These  told  it  in  their 
turn  to  more  distant  people  ;  so  that,  from  one  to 
another,  the  use  of  tosso  spread  until  it  reached 
Japan,  where  very  few  people  have  kept  the  remem- 
brance of  its  origin. 

SMOKING. 
TOBACCO. 

Already  indebted  to  Portugal  for  cotton  seed,  the 
Japanese  next  received  from  that  country  the  seed 
of  the  tobacco  plant.  This  culture  made  such  great 
and  such  rapid  strides  that  the  government  had  to 
intervene  for  its  regulation. 


2 1 2  Smoking. 


At  present  more  than  twelve  provinces  produce  it 
in  great  quantities,  for  everybody  smokes,  and  the 
consumption  is  considerable. 

The  two  species  of  Japanese  tobacco  are  the  Nico- 
tiana  chinensis  and  the  Nicotiana  tabacum. 

As  each  country  has  its  own  way  of  cultivating 
this  plant,  we  will  give  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  method 
employed  in  Japan. 

The  field,  with  a  southern  exposure,  must  be  well 
tilled.  The  sowing  done,  the  soil  is  very  thinly 
covered  with  dung.  When  the  plant  appears  above 
the  ground  it  is  watered  with  a  liquid  manure, 
after  the  dung  has  been  removed.  The  plants  are 
thinned  if  necessary,  transplanted,  and  manured 
several  times. 

As  soon  as  the  flowers  form,  they  are  lopped  off ; 
the  little  secondary  branches  are  likewise  suppressed, 
The  flowers,  however,  are  left  on  the  tobacco  plants 
intended  for  seed. 

In  the  month  of  July  the  plant  yellows,  and  it  is 
time  to  harvest  it.  The  leaves  at  the  bottom  are  of 
an  inferior  quality;  they  are  picked  twelve  or  fifteen 
days  in  advance  and  put  by  themselves.  The  choice 
leaves  benefit  by  this  lopping  off — i.  e.,  those  in  the 
middle.  Those  at  the  top,  as  well  as  the  stems,  like- 
wise yield  a  secondary  quality. 

The  drying  is  rather  complicate.  First  of  all,  to 
make  it  perfectly  yellow,  the  tobacco  is  piled  upon 


Tobacco. 


213 


the  ground,  under  a  shed,  where  it  is  covered  over 
with  mats  and  left  three  days.     Once  turned  yellow, 


METAL-PIPES,    PIPE-CASES,  AND    POUCHES. 

the  leaves  are  hung  in  a  well-aired  room ;  at  the 
end  of  two  weeks  they  are  exposed  for  two  or  three 
days  to  the  sun,  and  for  two  nights  to  the  dew 


214 


Smoking. 


in   order  that   they   may  absorb    a   certain    portion 
of  humidity. 

Then  it  is  straightened  out,  put  up  in  bunches  by 
the  stalks,  put  under  a  press,  and,  a  few  days  later, 
shut  up  in  a  very  dry  place. 

Opium  is  almost  unknown  in  Japan. 


MIDORI    NO   SATO. 

A  CORNER  OF  JAPAN  AT  THE  GATES  OF  PARIS. 


it  not  seem  to  you  that  the  sun  is  your 
ally?"  said  Mme.  d'Arbois  to  her  friend,  the 
Countess  of  Mayrial,  whilst  a  dapper  carriage  bore 
them  athwart  woodland.  "  The  weather  displays  a 
veritable  coquetry  in  seconding  you  in  your  presenta- 
tion of  the  little  paradise  towards  which  we  hasten." 

"  And  I  'm  thankful  to  it;  a  Japanese  house  with- 
out sun  would  be  incomplete  ;  only  one  thing  could 
take  its  place,  and  that  would  be  one  of  those  dilu- 
vial rains  such  as  fall  in  Japan,  and  which  have  in- 
spired Japanese  artists  in  such  a  diverting  manner." 

These  ladies  were  making  for  Midori  no  Sato,  that 
corner  of  unveiled  Japan  not  far  from  Paris,  and  of 
which  a  word  has  already  been  said  in  a  preceding 
chapter.* 


*  Decoration  of  a  Modern  European  House. 
215 


216  Midori  no  Sato. 


The  carriage  rolled  along  in  the  shade  of  the  um- 
brageous canopy,  across  which,  through  mysterious 
openings,  the  sun  played  just  enough  to  justify  the 
display  of  the  fresh  and  bright-toned  parasols  which 
produced  such  a  pretty  effect  under  the  trees.  The 
sprightly  travellers  in  this  long  trip  were  accompanied 
by  their  husbands. 

If,  on  leaving  Paris,  the  way  had  appeared  to  them 
scant  of  charms  while  driving  through  the  ugly  sub- 
urbs on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  they  were  amply 
compensated  for  it,  now  that  they  were  entered  into 
the  woods. 

From  Meudon  to  Versailles,  it  was  all  an  uninter- 
rupted succession  of  beautiful  woods  in  varied  tints, 
with  delightful  vistas,  and  gentle  acclivities,  which 
seemed  there  only  for  the  purpose  of  making  them 
admire  the  landscape  the  more  leisurely,  by  some- 
what abating  the  rapid  pace  of  the  two  trotters. 

To  right  and  to  left  the  eye  roamed  over  roads  or 
paths  carpeted  with  velvety  moss,  green  or  pink,  dis- 
tinguishing here  a  spring,  and  there  a  pool  whose 
glaucous  surface  was  starred  with  broad  water-lily 
leaves. 

It  is  a  little  beyond  Versailles  where  is  situated 
Midori  no  Sato,  the  name  of  which,  signifying  the 
"  Hill  of  Fresh  Verdure,"  is  written  in  Japanese 
characters  above  the  rustic  portal  at  the  entrance  of 
a  fine  avenue  of  great  oaks. 


Midori  no  Sato.  2 1  7 


The  two  leaves  of  this  portal  are  ornamented  with 
projecting  iron  and  copper  nails,  and  framed  by  three 
beams,  each  one  longer  than  the  portal  itself,  so  as  to 
form  with  their  projecting  ends,  at  their  junction,  a 
right  angle. 

Of  these  three  beams,  the  two  vertical  ones  are 
round,  the  other  square  and  invested  at  its  ends  with 
two  cylindrical  bronze  bands. 

Two  small  lateral  doors  give  admission  to  pedes- 
trians. 

As  soon  as  the  landau  was  fairly  on  the  broad 
hilly  avenue,  there  appeared  across  the  trees,  en- 
sconced in  the  verdure,  the  outlines,  at  once  elegant 
and  low,  of  the  maisonette,  the  goal  of  the  excursion. 

The  master  of  the  house — the  intelligent  traveller 
who  had  turned  his  peregrinations  through  the  world 
to  good  account  by  bringing  back  with  him  so  many 
exquisite  souvenirs  of  an  intellectual  and  captivating 
character — had  come  out  to  meet  his  guests. 

We  will  leave  them  to  shake  hands  and  exchange 
salutations,  and  go  off  by  ourselves  on  a  random 
exploration  of  this  delicious  abode,  the  passionate 
expression  of  a  sincere  admiration,  the  dream  of  a 
millionaire  smitten  with  things  of  beauty  ;  a  con- 
struction that  may,  in  fine,  be  called  art  in  action. 

Close  by  the  portal  to  the  left,  a  staircase,  each  step 
of  which  is  formed  by  a  slim  tree  trunk,  leads  to  an- 
other shorter  one  farther  along.  A  high  rustic  slope 


218 


Midori  no  Sato. 


formed  of  mossy  rocks,  fringed  with  vigorous  vege- 
tation, borders  a  side  of  the  road.  This  slope  is 
topped  with  young  tufted  trees.  To  the  right,  be- 
yond a  grassy  swell,  runs  a  somewhat  steep  descent 
scooped  out  like  a  valley,  but  rising  up  again  to  sink 

farther  on  into  a 
new  valley,  which 
joins  a  bit  of  water, 
the  sinuous  out- 
lines of  which  are 
lost  in  the  "  Hill  of 
Fresh  Verdure." 

You  take  all  this 
in  with  a  rapid 
sweep  of  the  eye, 
wh  i  1  s  t  walking 
under  the  dense 
shade  of  the  oaks. 
Pathways  to  the 
right  cleave  the 
screen  of  trees  and 
the  young  coppice; 
one  leading  to  the 

water's  edge,  where  joyously  and  clamorously  sport 
a  flock  of  aquatic  birds. 

Thanks  to  the  declivity  of  the  hill,  this  first  basin 
is  much  higher  than  the  others;  the  waters  pass 
under  a  bridge  of  red  lacquer,  crossing  a  chaos  of 


Midori  no  Sato. 


219 


rocks  and  falling  from  a  considerable  height  into  the 
next  basin. 

The  banks  bristle  with  rocks,  or  are  bordered  with 
trunks  of  trees  sunk  in  the  ground,  in  imitation  of  the 
small  pilework  common  in  Japan  to  prevent  the  land 
from  slipping  down. 

From  the  red  bridge 
where  we  halt,  our 
view,  looking  up- 
wards, is  arrested  by 
immense  grassy  lawns 
sprinkled  with  broom 
and  shrubbery,  which 
straggle  up  the  hill  to 
go  and  die  at  the  foot 
of  the  master's  house, 
after  having  softly  en- 
veloped the  fine  and 
delicate  Japanese 
maisonette,  where  all 
that,  is  wanting  to  the 
balcony,  standing  out 
from  the  white  back- 
ground of  the  papered  frames,  are  some  little  mous- 
mes  in  dazzling  robes,  to  render  the  illusion  complete. 

Here,  there,  disseminated  by  a  peculiar  art,  birches, 
sycamores,  and  numerous  varieties  of  pine  follow  the 
capricious  undulations  of  the  hill. 


22O  Midori  no  Sato. 

Without  in  any  manner  appearing  studied,  the 
vegetation  presents  itself  scattered,  and  just  as  in 
Japan  one  makes  a  bouquet  with  only  a  few  flowers, 
and  never  by  crowding  them  into  a  bunch,  as  in 
France,  so  here  the  trees  not  being  drawn  too  close 
together  preserve  their  individuality,  without  losing 
any  of  their  grace  and  character. 

From  diverse  points  escape  springs  which  form 
rivulets  tumbling  down  over  a  bed  of  rocks,  and  pass- 


ing under  many  little  wooden  bridges,  each  meriting 
a  special  description. 

At  the  very  top  a  large  grotto — doubtless  the  hab- 
itation of  the  naiads  of  this  charming  spot — enscon- 
ces itself  in  the  upper  part  of  the  hill.  Stone  lan- 
terns stand  at  certain  turnings,  presenting  their 
curious  grey  outlines  against  the  sombre  green  of  the 
cryptomerias,  or  projecting  boldly  over  pieces  of 
water,  supported  by  a  bent  arm  of  stone. 


Midoi 


no 


Sato. 


221 


Turning  your  back  to  this  spectacle,  you  have  be- 
fore your  eyes  the  vast  extent  of  water  reflecting 
great  trees  under  every  shade  ;  below,  to  the  left,  it 
twists  into  an  abrupt  turn  which  ends  at  the  foot  of 
a  hill,  the  steep  slope  of  which  shuts  the  horizon  on 
this  side  in  a  very  picturesque  fashion. 

Without  being  satiated  with 
the  view  of  the  gardens,  the 
house  attracts  us,  and,  clearing 
the  lacquer  bridge,  we  come  to 
another  bridge  which  is  most 
curious. 

On  each  side  two  beams  inter- 
crossing in  the  shape  of  an  X 
form  obtuse  and  acute  angles; 
they  compose  the  framework  of 
the  bridge ;  crosswise  are  placed 
narrow  tree  trunks,  forming  the 
platform.  We  ascend  by  paths 
which  are  staircases,  so  steep  is 
the  declivity. 

Another   bridge:    it    consists 
of  three  rectangles  of  stone,  great  dominoes  laid  flat 
upon  the  rocks  which  stick  out  of  the  rivulet. 

Let  us  not  pause  to  admire  the  lanterns  buried  in 
the  verdure,  or  the  bizarre  plants  clothing  the  old 
tree  stumps,  but  arrive  at  the  mansion,  and  enter 
within  the  enclosure  formed  by  a  palisade  nineteen 


222 


Midori  no  Sato. 


to  twenty  inches  high,  rising  beside  the  gates,  the 
principal  one  of  which  lies  under  the  shelter  of  a 
dainty  little  roof. 

All  is  on  a  miniature  scale:  small  garden,  small 
piece  of  water,  small  lawns  where  flat  stones,  taking 
the  place  of  gravelled  paths,  indicate  the  road,  and 


conduct  us  to  the 
entrance  of  the 
jewel  calling  itself 
a  Japanese  house. 
Let  us  take  off  our  shoes 
before  resting  our  feet  on 
the  red  wood  flooring  of  the 
ground  story,  so  polished,  so  bright, 
as  to  seem  the  surface  of  a  piece  of  furniture.  A 
pair  of  Turkish  slippers  present  themselves — by  way 
of  concession  to  European  visitors — in  the  little  ves- 
tibule to  the  left  of  the  entrance  to  a  corridor  which 
completely  surrounds  the  apartments,  as  a  ring  does 
a  finger. 

This   corridor  becomes  a  balcony  when  the  shut- 
ters are  raised  and  placed  in  the  presses  destined  to 


Midori  no  Sato. 


223 


receive  them  ;  to  the  right  the  partition  is  formed  by 
frames  sliding  in  grooves.    These  are  the  walls  of  the 


bedchamber  ;  they  are  covered  with  white  paper  hav- 
ing the  appearance  of  a  dull  white  cloth. 

The  basement  is  made  of  a  network  of  slim  leaves, 
of  a  white  roseate  wood,  like  the  flesh  of  fruit,  giving 


224  Midori  no  Sato. 

the  appearance  of  basket-work  wrought  with  lovely 
velvety  plants. 

We  step  within  the  first  room.  Let  us  look  at 
the  design  of  the  frames.  They  are  composed  of 
small  regular  lozenges ;  but  here  caprice  resumes  its 
sway.  The  workman  has  arranged  his  small  sheets 
of  white  wood  in  an  order  that  seems  at  first  sight 
irregular,  catching  and  holding  the  attention,  while 
amusing  it.  Above  is  a  frieze  in  red  natural  wood, 
very  slender,  perforated  with  designs  representing 
flights  of  cranes. 

One  part  of  these  frames  leans,  at  a  height  of  nine- 
teen to  twenty  inches,  upon  a  tablet  in  red  varnished 
wood,  jutting  out  into  the  interior,  and  capable  of 
serving  as  a  seat.  The  space  below  this  shelf  is 
closed  by  small  sliding  frames,  and  forms  a  tiny 
closet. 

The  fine  mats  which  carpet  the  floor  must  be  very 
thick,  for  you  seem  to  be  walking  upon  a  mattress  ; 
they  are  each  bordered  by  broad,  dark-blue  lace. 

The  room  where  we  are  has  eight  tatamis  (mats). 
The  rooms  in  Japan  are  measured  by  counting  the 
number  of  mats,  which  are  always  of  the  same  size. 

To  the  right,  all  along  the  partition,  is  a  sort  of 
alcove,  of  about  two  feet  deep,  and  the  floor  of 
which  is  raised  four  inches.  It  is  divided  in  its 
whole  height  into  two  parts  by  a  slight  partition,  sus- 
tained by  a  lacquered  tree-trunk  forming  a  column. 


Midori  no  Sato.  225 

In  the  first  division  are  hung  two  remarkable  kakt- 
monos  ;  on  the  floor  is  a  pretty  piece  of  furniture  in 
which  are  multiplied  irregular  drawers. 

The  second  division  is  occupied  by  shelves  of 
unequal  height,  supporting  marvellous  pieces  of  Sat- 
suma,  Kutani,  and  Eiraku  ceramics.  At  the  very  top, 
is  a  tablet,  fifteen  and  a  half  inches  from  the  ceiling, 
closed  by  sliding  frames  covered  with  pretty  designs. 

From  here,  through  the  frames,  which  are  widely 
opened,  we  see — the  shutters  being  all  removed — 
magnificent  vistas  of  the  park,  with  its  lawns,  stair- 
cases, and  rivulets,  basking  happily  under  the  bright 
sun. 

Raising  the  eyes,  we  see  the  frieze  of  the  corridor, 
formed  of  an  intercrossing  of  small  rods  of  wood,  of 
a  surprising  caprice  ;  then  glancing  back  at  the 
frieze  of  the  chambers,  we  are  likewise  surprised  by 
its  play  of  bold  fancy. 

The  adjoining  room  is  the  bedclamber  ;  it  meas- 
ures six  mats.  It  is  separated  from  the  preceding 
room  by  karakamis,  large  frames  resembling  the 
leaves  of  screens,  and  covered  with  beautiful  designs 
of  plants,  done  with  Indian  ink  on  a  white  back- 
ground. To  enable  them  to  be  moved  with  the 
finger,  they  are  scooped  into  small  anfractuosities 
covered  with  lacquer. 

The  upper  part  is  open-worked  at  a  height  of  two 
feet,  and  is  not  movable. 


226 


Midori  no  Sato. 


A  narrow  alcove  runs  the  length  of  this  chamber 
likewise,  and  encloses,  on  one  side,  little  rectangular 
closets  fixed  to  the  wall  at  unequal  heights,  having 
sliding  doors,  the  lowest  touching  the  floor,  and 
capable  of  serving  as  a  seat  ;  on  the  opposite  side,  a 
large  cupboard  for  keeping 
clothing  and  folding-screens. 

In  the  angles  of  the  room 
hang  red  cords  terminating  in 
tassels.  Midway  are  hooks 
destined  to  catch  the  mosqui- 
to net  that  is  laid  out  at  night 
to  protect  the  sleepers.  The 
nails  are  hidden  everywhere 
under  bronze  ornaments. 

For  the  rest,  there  is  not  a 
piece  of  furniture  to  detract 
from  the  local  colour.  Only, 
above  each  alcove  is  sus- 
pended a  wooden  panel  bear- 
ing devices  in  Japanese  char- 
acters ;  the  hooks  that  hold 

these  sloping  pictures  are  hidden  in  the  triangular 
cushions  of  yellow  silk  intended  to  protect  the 
border. 

Let  us  step  into  the  corridor.  On  the  right  we 
find  a  little  secret  apartment  in  which  the  principal 
object  is  a  basket  in  blue  porcelain.  The  door  is 


Midori  no  Sato.  227 


fastened  in  a  manner  as  simple  as  it  is  ingenious. 
Small  horizontal  cross-bars  are  applied  on  the  out- 
side of  the  door,  two  above,  two  below,  and  three 
in  the  middle.  One  of  these  last,  when  taken  be- 
tween the  thumb  and  forefinger,  slides  and  drops 
into  a  kind  of  bolt  scooped  out  in  the  chambranle  ; 
it  is  a  kind  of  invisible  latch. 

Beside  this  door,  and  outside  of  the  house,  upon 
the  trunk  of  a  tree  enveloped  with  ivy  and  cut  off 
about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  is  a  large  faience 
basin  full  of  water,  in  which  is  dipped  a  small  wooden 
cask  with  a  long  handle,  used  for  ablutions.  Above, 
suspended  to  a  ring,  is  a  little  blue  towel,  the 
tenugui. 

To  avoid  moistening  the  floor  of  the  gallery,  it 
is  covered  at  the  place  of  the  basin  with  a  bamboo 
hurdle,  forming  a  little  bridge  of  forty  centimetres. 

Finally  we  come  to  the  out-houses.  They  occupy 
a  whole  side  at  the  rear  of  the  house,  and  are  sepa- 
rated from  the  apartments  by  the  corridor-balcony. 
First  comes  the  bath-room,  with  its  bath-tub  of 
wood,  a  large  oval  vat  with  a  heater  and  cover  ;  then 
the  kitchen,  of  the  most  compendious  description ; 
lastly,  the  servants'  room. 

It  measures  four  tatamis,  and  is  constructed  length- 
wise. At  the  bottom  of  the  room,  upon  a  raised 
console,  is  a  miniature  in  wood  of  a  small  Shint6 
temple,  with  two  statuettes,  likewise  in  wood,  repre- 


228  Midori  no  Sato. 

senting  Ota'i  and  Yebis,  two  of  the  gods  of  good- 
fortune.  They  are  accompanied  by  a  little  lamp  and 
copper  bouquet-holders.  Above  is  a  cord  of  rice 
straw,  from  which  hang  little  bits  of  straw  and  of  cut 
paper,  destined  to  exorcise  bad  spirits ;  it  is  the 
Shintoist  gohe. 

At  the  end  of  the  chamber  is  a  little  recess,  where 
upon  two  shelves  are  ranged  lacquer  plates  and 
dishes,  of  divers  shapes  and  dimensions,  in  lovely 
faience  of  colours. 

See !  We  have  now  found  our  way  back  again  to 
the  vestibule,  where  our  shoes  await  us.  These  we 
reluctantly  resume,  so  much  are  we  interested  by 
our  visit,  so  much  art  do  we  find  expended  on  this 
simple  construction,  which  attests  in  each  detail  a 
spontaneous  taste  and  not  mechanical  routine 
workmanship. 

Before  leaving,  we  make  the  acquaintance  of 
the  workman-artist,  who  was  brought  all  the  way 
from  Japan  to  execute  this  masterpiece,  and  we 
congratulate  him  on  his  achievement  with  all  our 
heart,  only  regretting  that  it  is  not  in  our  power 
to  ask  him  to  do  anew  for  us  all  that  we  have  just 
admired. 

The  night  falls,  the  carriages  rattle  off,  bearing 
back  the  four  visitors,  who  interchange  with  one 
another  their  impressions  of  the  visit. 


Midori  no  Saio. 


229 


Nothing   that    surrounds    them    any    longer    at- 
•  tracts  their  attention  ;  they  are  as  yet  all  absorbed 
in  their  new  sensations. 

"  Since  I  undertook  to  make  you  acquainted  with 
Japan,"  said  the  Countess  to  her  friend,  "  we  have 
been  roving  about  somewhat  desul- 
torily in  a  charming  country.  In 
the  course  of  our  travels  I  have 
revealed  to  you  an  admirable  art, 
and  we  have  come  across  real,  sin- 
cere artists." 

"And    I    am    most    grateful    to 
you." 

"In    all    sincerity,"  ob- 
served M.  de  Mayrial, 


"we  can  say  that  no  one  succeeds  better  than  the 
Japanese  in  grasping,  with  so  much  power  and  grace, 
the  private  and  delicate  phases  of  nature,  such  as  they 
have  here  under  their  eyes, — one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  the  world, — as  well  as  in  rendering  her  syn- 
thetic and  broadly  varied  aspect.  Subtle  analysts, 


230  Midori  no  Sato. 

they  have  learned  how  to  unite  with  exquisite  perfec- 
tion of  execution  an  infinite  variety  of  conceptions, 
as  abundant  as  the  sources  at  which  they  have  never 
ceased  to  draw." 

"  Is  it  not  to  be  feared  that  all  these  beautiful 
theories  will  no  longer  find  their  application  ? " 
asked  Madame  d'Arbois. 

"  Do  not  be  anxious,"  responded  the  Count,  "  one 
begins  to  recover  a  little  from  this  dread  ;  no,  the 
race  of  masters  is  not  extinct.  There  has  just  been 
founded  in  the  capital  of  Japan,  a  society  of  '  Old 
Japanese/  partisans  of  the  national  art,  decided  to 
struggle  for  its  preservation,  and  to  resist  the  in- 
vasion of  foreign  and  mercantile  influence." 

"  Let  us  pray  for  their  success  !  "  exclaimed  Ma- 
dame de  Mayrial. 

"Yes,  let  us  associate  ourselves  with  the  regrets 
of  the  two  friends,  to  which  M.  Maget  gives  expres- 
sion in  his  charming  novel  of  Dai  Nippon,  when  they 
recall  the  old  Japan,  its  mild  people,  always  smil- 
ing, full  of  good  faith,  the  courtly  manners  ex- 
pressed by  the  humblest,  the  distinguished  epicur- 
ism of  the  nobility,  the  marvellous  instinct  of  all  for 
things  of  art,  the  general  happiness.  The  Japanese 
then  merited  Plato's  word  addressed  to  the  Athen- 
ians :  '  You  are  always  children,  and  you  have 
always  the  spirit  of  youth.'  ' 

"  Now  that  you  know  the  modes  of  manufacture 


Midori  no  Sato. 


231 


among  the  Japanese  and  the  diverse  products  of 
their  industry  and  of  their  soil,"  resumed  the 
Countess,  "  now  that  you  know  their  houses,  their 
gardens,  we  are  going,  if  you  please,  to  see  a  little 
how  they  live  there,  what  are  their  manners,  their 
pleasures,  and  their  sorrows  ;  you  will  then  better 
understand  them." 

"  You  overwhelm  me,  dear  friend,"  exclaimed 
Madame  d'Arbois.  "  We  will  commence  to-mor- 
row this  interesting  study." 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 


THE  JAPANESE  HOUSE. 

IN  all  countries  of  the  world  there  is  an  endeavour  to 
adapt  buildings  to  climate,  to  make  them  answer 
the  needs  and  usages  of  life.     In   Japan  this  aim  is 
more  or  less  happily  satisfied. 

In  a  climate  so  variable  the  dwellings  were  required 
to  insure  protection  as  much  against  bad  weather  as 
against  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun.  The  Japanese 
have,  accordingly,  invented  those  immense  over- 
hanging roofs  that  alike  shield  from  rain  and  give 
shade.  They  have  surrounded  their  houses  with 
balconies  and  terraces  opening  out  in  great  bays,  that 
may  again  be  closed  up  by  screen  partitions  sliding 
in  grooves.  Lastly,  they  have  planted  those  delicious 
gardens,  full  of  freshness  and  picturesque  detail, 
which  environ  their  dwellings  with  a  framework  of 
verdure. 

235 


236  Manners  and  Customs. 


It  was  further  indispensable  that  these  habitations 
should  be  accommodated  to  the  volcanic  soil  of  a 
country  frequently  visited  by  earthquakes.  This 
necessity  has  created  a  particular  art. 

It  was  necessary  for  the  edifices  to  be  at  once  solid 
and  elastic,  in  order  to  resist  the  atmospheric  com- 
motions and  the  rockings  of  the  earth,  as  well  as  the 
ravages  of  the  weather. 

Japanese  architects  have  solved  this  problem,  for 
they  have  known  how  to  construct  temples  that  after 
a  thousand  years'  existence  are  still  intact. 

Yet  they  have  discarded  stone,  fairly  abundant  with 
them  ;  they  have  used  scarcely  anything  but  wood  in 
the  execution  of  those  marvels  of  elegance,  of  rich- 
ness, and  of  solidity. 

Making  up  for  the  want  of  foundations  by  socles 
of  stone  upon  which  to  rest  the  beams  that  serve  for 
the  base  of  the  edifice,  they  have  reserved  an  empty 
space  between  the  flooring  and  the  ground,  thereby 
avoiding  inundation  or  humidity,  and  have  succeeded 
in  mitigating  the  effects  of  earthquakes.  The  house, 
not  being  attached  to  the  ground,  resumes  its  place 
after  the  oscillation,  thanks  to  its  elasticity  and  to  the 
equilibrium  imparted  to  it  by  the  heavy  roof.  But 
there  is  one  scourge  they  have  not  learned  to  baffle, 
namely,  fire.  It  is  seldom  that  a  day  passes  without 
a  fire  somewhere  or  other  in  each  of  those  cities  which 
cover  such  a  great  extent  of  land,  and  people  philo- 


The  Japanese  House. 


237 


sophically  make  up  their  minds  to  witness  the  disap- 
pearance of  whole  quarters  ravaged  by  the  flames. 

The  houses  have  almost  the  same  appearance  in 
the  city  as  in  the  country,  except  that  in  the  latter 
they  are  more  frequently  thatched  ;  they  are  rough 
coated  on  the  out- 
side with  a  mixture 
of  clay  and  chopped 
straw,  and  covered 
again  with  a  stucco 
having  for  base 
pounded  shells.  In 
summer,  the  houses 
are  open  to  all  eyes, 
and  the  passers-by 
can  witness  the 
family  scenes  en- 
acted without  con- 
straint, whether  it  be 
the  bath  hour,  the 
hour  of  work,  or  the 
hour  of  repose. 

These  fragile  hab- 
itations—  so  delicate  that  a  European  is  afraid  to 
stir  for  fear  of  bursting  the  movable  partitions 
made  of  panels  of  paper,  which  are  taken  down 
and  put  back  at  will — require,  for  their  compre- 
hension and  appreciation,  that  the  habits  of  the 


238 


Manners  and  Customs. 


people   and  their  turn   of  mind   be  taken   into  ac- 
count. 

For  them,  everything  lies  in  the  finish  of  the  work, 
in  the  delicate  decoration  of  the  walls,  in  the  dressing 
of  the  wainscoting.  No  furniture,  no  incumbrances. 
Those  who  possess  objects  of 
art  shut  them  up  in  a  sort  of 
special  apartment,  from  which 
they  are  only  taken  out  on  rare 
occasions. 

The  mats  are  always  of  an 
immaculate  cleanliness,  as  is 
also  the  white  or  yellow  wood 
of  the  floor  or  of  the  wains- 
coting, which  are  frequently 
washed,  and  whose  brightness 
no  stain  ever  tarnishes. 

Here  and  there  some  screens, 
a  niche  indented  in  the  wall 
that  faces  the  entrance  is  called 
the  Tokonoma  ;  the  panels 
of  this  niche  are  in  natural 
wood,  of  openwork  wrought 
with  a  consummate  art. 

At  the  back  of  the  Tokonoma  is  hung  a  kakemono. 
There,  too,  is  placed,  as  in  a  sort  of  sanctuary,  an  ob- 
ject of  art,  or  one  of  those  bouquets  of  flowers  which 
are  veritable  marvels  of  grace  and  composition. 


The  Japanese  House.  239 

The  pillars  supporting  the  framework  are  of  the 
most  capricious  shapes,  from  the  geometric  form  of 
perfect  precision  down  to  those  the  most  contorted. 
Occasionally  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  with  all  its  rusticity 
about  it,  is  used  as  a  supporting  column. 

The  interior  partitions  sliding  in  grooves  allow 
instant  improvisations  of  subdivisions  of  the  space 
at  disposal,  according  to  requirements. 

The  first  story,  to  which  there  is  access  by  a  ladder, 
presents  the  same  nakedness — tatamis  and  white 
woods  ;  no  furniture  any  more  than  in  the  ground 
floor,  with  the  exception  of  chests  ;  no  ornament ; 
only  little  niches,  masked  by  panels  of  white  paper 
ornamented  with  painting,  serving  as  repositories 
for  clothes. 

And  yet  luxury  exists  in  an  infinity  of  detail, 
luxury  of  refined  people,  such  as  does  not  strike  the 
eye.  The  wood  of  the  beams  and  the  encasement 
of  the  panels  will  accordingly  be  natural  and  simply 
planed,  but  the  nails  will  be  hidden  under  bronze 
plates  finely  worked  ;  the  movable  partitions  are 
provided  with  oval  niches  sunk  in  the  wood  in 
lieu  of  handles,  adjusted  to  the  form  of  the  finger 
ends,  and  these  will  be  garnished  with  chased 
bronze. 

In  fine,  the  Japanese,  sensitively  responsive  to  the 
grand  shows  of  nature,  is  yet  far  from  despising 
little  things.  If  his  house  is  small  and  appears  too 


240  Manners  and  Customs. 

empty,  it  is  of  an  exquisite  cleanliness,  and  every- 
thing is  arranged  with  a  perfect  taste. 

EMPLOYMENTS  or  THE  DAY. 

In  Japan  they  have  solved  in  a  very  practical 
manner  the  question  so  difficult  for  us — that  of  ser- 
vants. The  middle-class  families  in  easy  circum- 
stances ordinarily  have  a  maid  and  a  man-servant,  or 
even  two  maids  and  a  nurse,  if  there  is  occasion. 

Servants  are  not  a  very  expensive  commodity ; 
they  are  procured  from  employment  offices,  which 
guarantee  their  good  behaviour.  If  the  servant' 
steals,  it  is  the  bureau  that  pays,  having  contracted 
to  do  so. 

Unfaithfulness  on  the  part  of  a  servant  being  very 
rare,  the  sum  paid  to  the  agent  is  trifling.  A  maid 
receives  about  ten  francs  per  month,  or  seven  francs 
and  a  half  if  fed  and  lodged. 

Men-servants  are  paid  about  twenty  francs  per 
month  with  board,  or  forty  francs  without  board. 

Maids  rise  at  six  o'clock,  open  the  shutters,  heat 
the  water  for  the  toilet  ;  they  then  prepare  break- 
fast, which  consists  of  warm  rice,  misso  soup  (wheat 
fermented  with  salt),  salad,  tea,  and  sometimes  other 
little  dishes.  Breakfast  is  served  about  eight  o'clock  ; 
it  is  the  first  of  the  three  repasts  of  the  day  ;  the 


Employments  of  the  Day.  241 


second  is  at  noon,  and  the  third  at  seven  in  the 
evening. 

At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  a  snack  is  taken. 

After  opening  the  house  the  maid  puts  it  in  order. 
The  mother  busies  herself  with  the  toilet  of  the 
children  and  sends  them  to  school.  The  first  to  get 
up,  she  is  the  last  to  go  to  bed,  never  doing  so  before 
her  husband. 

It  is  she  that  carries  the  household  purse. 

From  early  morning  come  tradespeople  of  all  sorts. 
It  is  only  by  way  of  exception  that  people  go  to  the 
shops.  Certain  dishes,  however,  are  ordered  outside 
from  the  restaurants,  whose  specialty  it  is,  when  it 
is  desired  to  extend  the  menu  a  little. 

Merchants  of  fancy  articles  come  to  the  house. 

The  clothes  for  the  whole  of  the  family  are  made 
at  home ;  even  rich  women  sew  and  cut,  though 
assisted  by  the  workwomen. 

By  nine  o'clock  the  husband  has  despatched  some 
affairs,  has  breakfasted,  and  leaves  his  house  to  go 
to  his  office  or  to  his  desk,  most  frequently  for  the 
whole  day. 

All  the  family  live  under  the  same  roof.  The 
grandfathers  and  grandmothers  have  a  very  easy 
life,  free  from  cares  and  anxieties  ;  they  do  not  work, 
and  spend  their  time  between  reading  and  prome- 
nading. 

16 


242  Manners  and  Customs. 


The  young  daughters  occupy  themselves  with 
sewing,  music,  the  composition  of  bouquets,  and 
studying  the  complicated  law  of  the  tea  ceremony 
(tcha-no-yu). 

The  boys,  who  nowadays  go  to  school  or  college, 


formerly  remained  at  home  until  the  age  of  eighteen 
or  twenty  years.  They  learned  fencing,  riding, 
writing,  literature,  etc. 

Visits  are  made  in  the  afternoon,  and  occasionally 
the  visitor  is  invited  to  stay  to  dinner  ;  these  invita- 


Birth.  243 


tions  are  always  impromptu,  and  the  evening  meal 
is  the  most  important. 

What  do  the  women  talk  of  among  themselves  ? 

Slander  having  no  great  attraction  for  them — is  it 
credible? — conversation  turns  on  the  children,  the 
toilet,  and  the  theatre.  They  talk  over  the  plays, 
that  last  whole  days,  and  criticise  the  actors,  from 
whom  they  borrow  the  models  of  their  robes  and 
coiffures. 

Evening  comes.  Now  and  then  when  they  are  all 
by  themselves,  they  call  in  the  blind  masseur,  whose 
melancholy  whistle  of  two  notes  is  heard  at  a  great 
distance,  or,  if  they  have  guests,  the  time  is  passed 
in  drinking  sake  and  tea,  with  music  and  playing. 
But  games  of  chance  being  prohibited,  it  is  those  of 
skill  or  of  calculation  to  which  they  have  recourse. 
And,  as  there  are  no  cafe's  in  Japan,  it  is  at  home 
they  join  in  a  game. 

BIRTH. 

It  is  not,  properly  speaking,  physicians  who  exer- 
cise the  profession  of  midwifery.  For  the  Japanese 
it  is  an  art  and  a  veritable  specialty,  that  men  and 
women  practise  with  equal  success. 

The  layette  is  always  made  by  one  of  the  grand- 
mothers, or  by  the  mother  if  they  are  deceased. 

When  the  child  is  born,  it  is  bathed  in  warm 
water,  and  for  three  days  it  is  given  no  other 


244  Manners  and  Customs. 


nourishment  than  makuri  dissolved  in  water,  which 
the  baby  sucks  out  of  a  little  silk  bag.  At  the  end 
of  this  time  the  mother  gives  it  the  breast. 

The  baby  is  not  swaddled  ;  its  body  remains  free 
in  its  first  clothes,  simply  held  up  by  a  little  stuff 
corselet  tied  by  cords. 

The  birth  is  occasion  for  a  ceremony  which  con- 
sists in  a  repast  where  rice  coloured  by  red  haricots 
is  eaten. 

The  seventh  day  the  child  is  given  a  name,  which 
is  changed  at  puberty  and  at  death,  irrespective  of 
other  changes  of  name  caused  by  various  circum- 
stances of  life. 

The  twentieth  day  the  midwife,  accompanied  by 
the  servants  of  the  house,  carries  it  to  the  temple 
Oudzikami  or  to  the  local  Shinto  temple. 

There  the  baby,  clad  in  a  very  beautiful  costume 
presented  by  the  grandfather,  drinks  sacred  water 
that  is,  without  doubt,  to  bring  it  good  fortune. 

The  mother  does  not  budge  from  her  bed  until 
the  twenty-first  day. 

There  are  four  great  epochs  in  the  life  of  a  man, 
marked  by  ceremonies : 
Kwan,  majority. 
Kwon,   marriage. 
So,          funerals. 
Sai,       the  feast  commemorative  of  ancestors. 


Marriage.  245 


The  feast  of  majority  does  not  present  anything 
worthy  of  note ;  it  is  celebrated  at  the  age  of 
fifteen. 

MARRIAGE. 

Young  people  marry  from  the  age  of  eighteen  to 
twenty-five. 

It  is  almost  always  the  parents  that  choose  a 
husband  or  a  wife  for  their  children.  Sometimes 
the  betrothed  do  not  know  each  other,  sometimes 
the  engagement  dates  from  infancy. 

Marriages  formerly  were  always  made  from  disin- 
terested motives.  Until  the  arrival  of  strangers  in 
Japan,  there  was  no  question  of  money  mixed  up 
with  that  of  marriage. 

When  a  family  wishes  to  marry  one  of  their 
children,  they  choose  a  nakodo.  This  personage, 
with  his  wife,  serves  as  witness.  Bachelors  and 
widows  cannot  act  as  nakodo. 

They  are  the  important  personages  in  the  cere- 
mony. They  ask  the  consent,  undertake  all  the 
arrangements,  gather  the  information,  settle  the 
marriage  portion. 

They  conduct  the  newly  married  couple  to  the 
conjugal  house. 

When  the  pair  retire  to  their  chamber,  the  nakodo 
accompanies  them. 


246  Manners  and  Customs. 


During  the  whole  time  of  the  union  to  which  he 
has  contributed,  he  will  be  the  arbitrator  in  any 
dissensions  that  may  arise  between  the  husband  and 
wife.  If  divorce  ensues,  it  is  he  who  regulates  it, 
and  it  is  seldom  that  the  courts  have  to  interfere  in 
such  matters. 


EMBLEMS    OF    LONGEVITY. 


It  is  necessary  to  a  man's  respectability  to  have 
been  nakodo  at  least  once  in  his  life,  and  it  is  con- 
sidered highly  honourable  to  have  often  fulfilled 
such  functions,  which  are  reserved  for  the  worthiest. 

After  the  marriage,  the  nakodo  receives  presents 


Marriage.  247 


of    two    sorts :    symbolical    presents,    and    presents 
destined  as  thanks  to  him   for  his  trouble. 

The  symbolical  presents  are  represented  by  some 
hemp,  and  some  silk  wadding,  emblems  of  longevity 
and  of  lasting  union.  The  others  consist  of  fine 
stuffs 

The  marriage  portion  consists  in  cloths,  rice,  sake", 
fishes,  silk  wadding,  etc. 

Sometimes,  or  often  even,  money  is  sent  with  a 
list  of  articles  the  sum  is  estimated  to  represent. 

The  future  husband  presents  to  his  fiancde  the 
ceinture  (obi). 

The  fiancee  presents  to  her  future  husband  his 
dress  of  ceremony  (kamishinoo). 

The  exchange  of  presents  is  made  a  week  before 
the  wedding. 

In  Japan  young  men  are  asked  in  marriage  just  as 
often  as  young  women. 

Adoption. — When  there  are  only  girls  in  a  family, 
it  is  the  custom  for  the  parents  to  ask  a  young  man 
in  marriage  for  one  of  them,  and  him  they  adopt. 
He  must,  in  such  case,  come  and  live  in  the  home 
of  his  wife,  and  take  the  name  of  the  family  he 
enters  in  order  to  perpetuate  it.  In  that  event  he 
gives  no  presents,  and  on  the  day  of  the  nuptial 
ceremony  it  is  he  that  is  sought  in  order  to  be  led 


248  Manners  and  Customs. 

to  his  fiancee,  while  it  is  she  who  receives  him  at 
the  door. 

There  is  a  grand  reception  the  next  day. 

It  is  always  the  wife  who  brings  as  a  marriage  por- 
tion the  household  utensils,  as  well  as  the  bedding 
for  herself  and  her  husband,  in  large  and  very 
beautiful  chests,  carried  on  the  day  of  the  wedding 
by  servants. 

The  betrothals  are  held  at  the  house  of  the 
parents  of  the  young  woman,  where  are  convened 
the  nakodo  and  some  friends  ;  the  fiancee  goes  there  ; 
it  is  the  first  interview  between  the  young  people, 
and  the  only  one  before  marriage,  as  they  have  no 
courtship.  The  young  girl  appears  only  an  instant 
in  the  drawing-room  to  offer  a  cup  of  tea  to  her 
betrothed. 

The  Japanese  claim  that  the  unions  regulated  by 
the  parents  are  more  lasting  and  better  assorted 
than  love  matches. 

For  the  day  of  the  ceremony,  the  bride  has  several 
costumes.  She  changes  them  three 'or  four  times, 
according  to  her  fortune.  The  first  is  black  ;  all  the 
robes  have  long  sleeves  trailing  almost  to  the  ground. 

At  sunset  the  nakodo  goes  to  seek  the  fiancee  to 
conduct  her  to  the  nuptial  house.  The  cortege  goes 
on  foot,  either  in  cago  or  in  djinrikischa. 


Marriage.  249 


At  the  threshold  of  his  door,  the  bridegroom 
receives  his  bride,  and  escorts  her  to  the  drawing- 
room  with  parents  and  friends. 

The  betrothed  then  sit  facing  one  another  at  a 
certain  distance,  and  three  little  cups  are  brought, 
generally  in  gilded  lacquer,  to  celebrate  the  cere- 
mony of  san-san-ku-do  (literally,  triple  changing  of 
three  cups). 

It  is  the  bridesmaid  and  bridesman  who  pour  into 
these  cups  the  sake  contained  in  two  vases,  upon 
which  are  painted  two  emblematic  butterflies,  the 
one  male  and  the  other  female.  In  this  country, 
doubtless,  these  insects  do  not  symbolize  incon- 
stancy, as  with  us.  At  the  same  time  there  is 
brought  in  the  shell-fish  soup  that  commences 
the  meal. 

The  nakodo  chants  a  poem  composed  by  him  for 
the  occasion  ;  it  is  the  sa-ka-sa-go  (literally,  a  chant 
wishing  long  life). 

After  the  wedding  repast  the  relations  retire  ;  the 
nakodo  accompanies  the  married  couple  to  the 
entrance  of  their  chamber. 

For  two  or  three  days  more  friends  and  relations 
are  invited. 

At  the  eighth  day  nuptial  visits  are  made  to  the 
parents  of  the  wife,  which  gives  occasion  for  more 
rejoicings.  Then  comes  the  ceremony  of  the  sa-ko- 
tat-ri,  connected  with  sending  presents  to  the 


250  Manners  and  Customs. 

nakodo  ;  and  with  this  the  series  of  marriage  fetes 
is  closed. 

FUNERALS. 

As  soon  as  one  is  dead,  the  corpse  is  laid  in  the 
principal  room.  Pure  water  and  incense  are  placed 
near  the  body. 

Then  one  goes  to  the  temple  and  to  the  cemetery. 
Formerly  the  cemetery  was  attached  to  the  temple, 
but  it  is  so  no  longer. 

Next,  relations  and  friends  are  informed,  and  the 
coffin  ordered,  unless  it  is  desired  to  resort  to  crema- 
tion, which  is  just  as  usual  as  burial.  The  coffins 
are  of  two  sorts.  The  one,  like  ours,  receives  the 
body  laid  out ;  the  other,  when  the  body  is  bent  up 
in  a  sitting  position,  has  a  form  analogous  to  that 
of  Peruvian  burial  jars,  and  is,  moreover,  in  terra- 
cotta. A  thin  wooden  box  serves  to  envelop  the 
dead.  Before  placing  the  body  in  the  coffin  it  is 
washed,  then  dressed.  Until  this  time  it  has  been 
left  exactly  as  it  was  at  the  moment  of  death. 

To  permit  its  introduction  into  the  coffin  in  the 
form  of  a  vase,  if  the  corpse  is  rigid,  it  is  made 
supple  by  the  use  of  a  certain  powder,  so  that  the 
knees  may  be  bent  under  the  chin. 

The  family  keeps  vigil. 

The  day  of  the  interment,  the  priest  comes  to  the 
house  to  give  to  the  dead  a  name  more  or  less  hon- 


Funerals.  251 


curable,  according  to  the  value  in  which  the  dead  has 
been  held,  to  take  the  place  of  the  one  he  bore 
while  living  ;  then  the  priest  accompanies  the  body 
to  the  cemetery. 

The  cortege  is  preceded  by  the  priest,  going  on 
foot,  followed  by  a  man  who  holds  up  a  little  board 
formed  like  a  poster,  on  which  is  inscribed  the  post- 
humous name  of  the  deceased.  Then  comes  the 
coffin  covered  with  white  tapestry,  carried  by  men, 
escorted  by  people  furnished  with  white  lanterns  not 
illuminated  ;  for  white  is  the  colour  of  mourning  in 
Japan,  as  in  China. 

Then  follow  friends  and  relations,  among  whom 
the  descendants  only  are  represented.  The  religious 
ceremony  bears  much  analogy  in  its  external  form 
to  that  of  the  Catholic  religion. 

The  name  given  by  the  priest  is  engraved  upon  the 
front  of  the  little  monolith  which  marks  the  place  of 
burial ;  the  family  name  is  engraved  behind. 

After  the  ceremony  of  sepulture,  they  return  to 
the  temple,  where,  in  a  little  hall  specially  set  apart 
for  this  purpose,  cakes  are  distributed  to  the  persons 
who  have  attended  the  funeral. 

In  the  same  way  as  on  the  occasion  of  a  marriage, 
the  friends  and  relatives  offer  presents,  or  money 
representing  their  value.  It  is  a  sort  of  reciprocal 
tribute,  which  is  found  in  operation  in  the  case  like- 
wise of  cremations. 


252  Manners  and  Customs. 

Seventy  days  after  the  death,  cakes  are  sent  to 
the  friends  who  made  the  presents  on  the  occasion 
of  the  death. 

FETES  AND  REJOICINGS. 

As  with  all  the  fetes  of  former  times,  the  celebra- 
tion of  New  Year's  Day  has  lost  much  of  its 
solemnity  and  picturesque  character,  since  the  adop- 
tion in  1872  of  the  Gregorian  calendar — taking  the 
place  of  the  Chinese  calendar  and  its  lunar  months. 
The  year  then  commenced  twenty-seven  or  twenty- 
eight  days  later  than  now. 

From  the  I3th  December  the  preparations  for 
Gan-Gitz,  the  feast  of  Ichi-Gok  (the  first  of  the  year) 
begin.  A  general  house-cleaning  is  taken  in  hand, 
and  there  is  a  day  appointed  for  the  fete  of  the 
motchis  (rice-cakes).  It  is  not  seldom  that  resort  is 
had  for  the  preparation  of  this  exceptional  dish  to 
the  talent  of  certain  special  culinary  artists,  who 
bear  to  the  houses  of  their  clients  all  their  material 
— a  trifle  cumbersome. 

Two  or  three  days  before  the  end  of  the  year,  the 
fronts  of  the  houses  are  covered  with  emblematic 
decorations.  At  each  door  there  are  planted  in 
vases,  filled  with  earth,  great  branches  of  pine  and 
of  bamboo,  and  from  one  end  to  another  of  the  pro- 
jecting roof  is  stretched  a  garland  of  plaited  straw, 


F&tes  and  Rejoicings.  253 


whence,  at  equal  distances,  depend  tufts  of  straw. 
This  ornamental  custom,  called  kazari,  goes  back 
to  the  remotest  antiquity.  It  is  like  a  reminiscence 
of  the  ancestral  simplicity  that  may  be  recognised 
in  nearly  all  Japanese  festivals.  The  addition  of  a 
citron,  of  a  lobster,  of  sea-weeds,  of  ferns,  and  of 
green  leaves  from  the  izourika  tree,  united  in  a  sort 
of  trophy  in  the  middle  of  the  twisted  straw  fringe, 
is  peculiar  to  New  Year's  Day,  each  one  of  these 
objects  having  an  auspicious  meaning  for  the  occu- 
pants of  the  house. 

Certain  temples  have  opened  their  gates  in  the 
night  of  the  1st  of  January.  The  tabernacle  is  illu- 
minated, and  the  faithful  have  there  sought  the  fire 
that  will  serve  to  cook  the  zoomi,  a  sort  of  rice  cakes 
with  a  sauce,  misso,  a  soup  composed  of  white 
haricots,  of  fermented  oats,  and  of  salt.  It  is  of 
this  unique  dish  that  the  first  repast  of  the  year 
before  the  sun  rises  must  consist. 

After  the  white  haricots  come  the  black  haricots, 
which  are  eaten  in  the  family  circle  at  the  ordinary 
hours  of  repast,  at  the  same  time  with  two  species 
of  fish — the  kazonnoki,  that  are  caught  in  the  sea  of 
Y£zo,  and  the  gomanie,  found  in  innumerable  shoals 
like  the  herring. 

The  haricots,  of  which  several  are  contained  in 
a  single  pod,  the  kazonnoki,  propagated  in  great 
numbers  from  a  single  fish,  and  the  gomanie,  which 


254  Manners  and  Customs. 


are  found  always  together  in  thousands,  are  for 
the  Japanese  the  symbols  embodying  the  precept, 
"  increase  and  multiply,"  and  the  expression  of  a 
hope. 

It  is  then  that  they  drink  the  wine  of  tosso,  made 
with  medicinal  plants,  a  trifle  bitter  to  the  taste, 
but  having  a  very  agreeable  perfume,  so  say  its 
lovers. 

All  this  allegorical  gastronomy  does  not  make 
them  lose  sight  of  the  social  duties  that  are  incum- 
bent at  this  time  of  the  year  on  the  Japanese,  what- 
ever may  be  the  class  to  which  they  belong. 

The  following  is  a  programme  of  the  first  day  of 
the  year : 

And  first,  at  court  : 

The  Mikado  receives  the  civil  and  military  func- 
tionaries. The  latter  in  laced  uniforms,  the  former 
in  dresses  more  or  less  embroidered  in  gold  lace, 
according  to  their  rank.  The  humblest  present 
themselves  in  plain  black  dress. 

In  1872,  the  Mikado,  in  his  grand  costume  of 
antique  state,  received  for  the  last  time  his  subjects, 
clothed — they  also — in  the  ancient  mode,  and  for  the 
moment  the  foreign  functionaries  could  see  him  on 
his  throne,  then  the  curtain  closed  over  him,  after  a 
general  salute  on  the  part  of  the  company.  It  was 
the  end  of  a  world.  Now  the  Emperor  wears  a  hat 


Fetes  and  Rejoicings.  255 


with  a  white  plume,  the  grand  cordon,  and  panta- 
loons of  cassimere  with  gold  bands. 

Secondly,  with  the  high  functionaries  : 
Great  commotion,  exchanging  of  visits,  great 
jostling  of  djinrikisckas  before  all  the  doors  of  the 
ministers.  Those  to  whom  the  means  of  transport 
are  wanting  put  on  their  guetas  and  go  bravely  in  the 
mud  and  snow,  their  straw-sandals  in  their  hands. 

Thirdly,  with  private  individuals  : 

A  great  number  of  visits  and  drinkings  of  tea  are 
exchanged. 

The  Japanese  of  the  old  school  avoid  pronouncing 
on  this  day  the  syllable  ski,  the  root  word  of  death. 
This  would  be  a  bad  omen,  and,  as  this  syllable 
enters  into  an  infinite  number  of  words,  the  avoid- 
ance involves  interminable  periphrases. 

Inferiors  come  and  bring  little  presents  to  their 
superiors,  consisting  chiefly  of  oranges  and  eggs. 
They  add  a  morsel  of  symbolic  fish-tail  or  its  repre- 
sentation, fastened  to  the  object  offered  by  pretty 
bands  of  paper. 

As  to  the  servants,  the  master  responds  to  their 
presents  by  pecuniary  generosity. 

The  children  receive  toys. 

Fourthly,  with  the  people  : 

There  is  a  holiday  during  the  entire  week  of  the 


256  Manners  and  Customs. 

New  Year's  Day.  The  population  gather  in  the 
streets,  sauntering  about  when  the  weather  is  fine, 
if  not,  they  meet  to  play  the  chamisen  and  drink 
tea.  When  the  sun  shines,  the  animation  of  the 
people,  who  only  seek  to  enjoy  themselves,  presents 
a  charming  picture. 

Everywhere,  indoors  and  out,  reigns  an  air  of 
festivity  and  good  humour.  In  meeting  they  bow, 
placing  their  hands  on  their  knees,  and  exchange  the 
consecrated  word  Omedetto. 

Many  shops  and  stalls  in  the  open  air  expose  toys 
in  profusion.  Oh  !  how  wonderful  were  the  toys  in 
the  olden  time ! 

The  end  of  the  year  marks  for  the  merchants  and 
for  the  debtors  Rabelais'  quarter  of  an  hour.  One 
would  lose  all  credit  if  he  failed  in  paying  his  debts 
on  the  3  ist  December. 

To  that  has  to  be  added  what  it  is  necessary  to 
spend  on  New  Year's  gifts,  so  that  many  have  need 
to  drown  the  troubles  of  this  day  in  a  cup  of  sake'. 

The  joy  of  the  children  is,  on  the  contrary,  with- 
out alloy.  They  roam  about  in  the  streets,  the 
boys  with  their  kites,  which  they  dart  among  the 
legs  of  the  passers-by  ;  the  girls  with  their  battle- 
dores and  shuttlecocks. 

Yet  this  is  not  their  real  fete.  Later  on  there  will 
be  a  special  one  for  each.  For  the  girls  it  will  be 
the  hina-matsuri>  fete  of  playthings,  which  will 


Fetes  and  Rejoicings.  257 


overwhelm  them  with  dolls  such  as  they  must  guard 
without  damaging,  and  which,  in  their  turn,  when 
they  become  mothers,  they  will  have  to  transmit  to 
their  girls. 

The/r/V  day  for  the  boys  is  no  less  important. 

Upon  this  day,  every  family  to  whom  a  boy  has 
been  born  in  the  year  erects  before  its  door  a  tall 


MAKING   TOYS. 


bamboo,  at  the  top  of  which  floats  a  nobori,  a  big 
paper  fish  which  the  wind  inflates  and  balances  at  will. 
The  plaited  straw  of  New  Year's  Day  has  here 
its  place  taken  by  a  rope  adorned  with  reeds. 
The  salmon  which  swims  up  the  streams  struggling 
against  the  current,  is  emblem  of  the  physical  and 
moral  force  necessary  to  vanquish  the  difficulties 
of  life. 


258  Manners  and  Customs. 


Apart  from  these  two  fetes  which  are  all  their 
own,  the  children  take  part  in  a  great  number  of 
others  that  run  like  a  chain  throughout  the  year. 

There  are,  first,  the  five  traditional  fetes  of  Japan, 
Go  SekkUj  that  are  held  : 

The  seventh  day  of  the  first  month  ; 

The  third  day  of  the  third  month  ; 

The  fifth  day  of  the  fifth  month  ; 

The  seventh  day  of  the  seventh  month  ; 

The  ninth  day  of  the  ninth  month. 

In  April,  there  is  rejoicing  over  the  appear- 
ance of  the  rosy  blossoms  of  the  cherry  of  Ueno 
and  of  Mukojima,  of  the  white  flowers  of  the 
plums  of  Tokaido,  and  of  the  apple  blossoms  of 
Miyaski. 

In  June  are  the  glycines  ;  in  July,  the  iris,  which 
both  serve  as  occasions  for  merry-making. 

And  when  the  autumn  comes,  it  is  the  turn  of  the 
chrysanthemums  and  of  the  maples. 

To  these  festivals  of  nature,  which  are  general, 
have  to  be  added  others  local  or  occasional.  They 
walk  much  about,  and  everything  is  made  a  pretext 
to  take  holiday.  Birth,  baptism,  marriage,  and  de- 
cease are  celebrated  in  the  family.  There  is  the 
festival  of  the  neighbourhood,  that  of  the  city  with 
fireworks  on  the  rivers,  and  the  religious  festivals 
with  grand  parade,  etc. 

There  is  no  ennui  in  Japan. 


Theatrical  Representations.  259 

THEATRICAL  REPRESENTATIONS. 

In  the  ninth  century,  reign  of  the  Emperor  Heijo, 
a  subsidence  of  the  earth  occurred  in  the  province 
of  Yamato,  near  Nara,  a  place  to-day  famous  for  the 
magnificence  of  its  temples,  and  a  poisonous  gas 
exhaling  from  the  pit  diffused  its  deadly  pestilence 
everywhere.  To  exorcise  this  plague,  the  priests 
took  it  into  their  heads  to  institute  an  emblematic 
dance  on  a  grassy  hillock  nearby  the  accursed  place. 
Then,  as  by  magic,  the  gas  stopped  its  exhalation. 

This  was,  so  the  legend  runs,  the  consecration  of 
the  Drama. 

Down  to  our  time,  in  memory  of  the  Nara  miracle, 
the  same  dance,  called  Sambas fw,  precedes  each 
theatrical  representation,  and  is  performed  by  an 
actor  dressed  like  a  priest  of  the  olden  time. 

The  people  being  very  much  taken  with  these 
religious  evolutions,  very  simple  in  their  origin, 
the  Shinto  clergy  organised  veritable  comedy- 
pantomimes. 

One  of  these,  named  Tama-tori,  shows  us  a  holy 
woman  shaking  a  sistrum  with  jingling  bells,  which 
protect  the  precious  ball  of  crystal,  emblem  of 
purity  and  truth,  from  the  attacks  of  a  demon. 

As  is  evident,  the  theatre  in  Japan  originated  in 
much  the  same  way  as  in  France.  Our  mystic  pro- 
cessions and  mysteries,  as  celebrated  in  the  churches 


260  Manners  and  Customs. 


of  the  Middle  Ages,  transferred  to  the  palaces  of 
princes  and  thence  to  public  places,  correspond  with 
the  Japanese,  and  the  closest  analogies  may  be 
traced  in  the  steps  followed  by  the  two  peoples  in 
order  to  arrive  at  the  present  state  of  things. 


The  marionettes,  Joruri  and  Ningyo  Tsukai,  were 
invented  at  the  commencement  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 

To-day  the  facade  of  a  Japanese  theatre  is  deco- 
rated with  lanterns,  with  streamers,  and  with  large 
pictures  in  bright  colours  reproducing  the  principal 
scenes  of  the  piece  announced. 


Theatrical  Representations.  261 

The  entrance  is  railed  off  by  big  bars  of  black 
wood,  that  form  cages  for  the  cashiers  and  check- 
takers. 

There  is  a  cloak-room  for  umbrellas  and  guttas, 
or  wooden  shoes.  The  hall  consists  simply  of  a 
parterre  and  a  gallery. 

In  a  screened  box  of  the  proscenium,  the  guidayu 
is  squatted  ;  he  plays  the  guitar  (samissen),  and 
speaks  in  a  tone  of  doleful  cadence.  He  recounts 
to  the  audience  the  situation,  and  from  time  to 
time  he  is  heard  describing  the  sentiments  which 
the  actors  express  by  their  gestures  and  their 
physiognomy. 

Below  this  commentator,  who  reminds  one  of  the 
ancient  chorus,  is  placed  the  amatetaktf,  provided 
with  two  massive  square  pieces  of  wood,  wherewith  he 
does  the  roll  on  the  floor.  It  is  in  pathetic  moments 
that  he  strikes  with  all  his  might  and  accentuates 
the  actors'  words  by  a  deafening  tremolo. 

The  ceiling  of  the  house  is  ornamented  by  long 
bands  of  many-coloured  stuffs,  covered  with  cursive 
characters,  fantastically  variegated  ;  they  are  the 
property  of  the  stars  employed  in  the  representa- 
tion, and  form  part  of  their  wardrobe. 

They  owe  them  to  the  admiration  of  the  specta- 
tors, and,  when  the  talk  is  of  a  comedian  of  great 
talent,  it  is  customary  to  say  :  "  He  is  a  man  of 
thirty-six  curtains  !  " 


262  Manners  and  Customs. 


Order  is  preserved  within  the  theatre  by  only  one 
policeman.  This  fact  does  honour  to  the  good  be- 
haviour of  the  public. 

The  spectators  squatted  upon  their  heels  follow 
the  representation  throughout  in  this  position, 
which  is  habitual  with  them. 

Square  partitions,  of  one  foot  high,  divide  the 
house  into  compartments  of  equal  size,  forming  a 
sort  of  uncovered  loges.  These  partitions  are  broad 
enough  to  walk  on  easily  ;  they  form  paths  by  which 
one  reaches  his  place.  It  is  also  by  them  that,  be- 
tween the  acts,  the  sellers  of  programmes,  of  cakes, 
and  of  tea  pass  among  the  spectators,  who,  not 
uncommonly,  get  their  repasts  served  them  by  res- 
taurant-keepers of  the  neighbourhood,  it  being  not 
unusual  for  a  piece  commencing  in  the  morning  not 
to  end  until  a  very  advanced  hour  of  the  night.  In 
each  compartment  there  is  a  little  hibacki,  serving  to 
light  the  tiny  pipes  which  are  finished  in  three  puffs. 
A  little  bamboo  tube  is  used  as  a  cuspidor. 

The  deportment  of  the  auditory  is  of  a  "  free  and 
easy  "  description  ;  in  fact,  yielding  to  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  heat,  each  one  makes  quick  work  in 
stripping  off  any  embarrassing  clothing. 

The  stage  machinery  consists  of  two  scenes  :  a 
screen  representing  the  sea,  lighted  by  candles 
placed  naively  in  full  sight  in  the  water,  and  the 
facade  of  a  tiny  tea-house. 


Theatrical  Representations.  263 


Besides  the  partitions  of  which  we  have  already 
spoken,  there  are  two  broader  ways,  to  the  right  and 
to  the  left,  which,  placed  on  a  level  with  the  scene, 
allow  the  actors  ingress  and  egress  otherwise  than 
by  the  back  of  the  theatre,  and  offer  opportunity,  on 
occasion,  for  the  simultaneous  representation  of 
different  scenes.  One  of  these  entrances  is  sufficiently 
broad  to  permit  of  the  passage  of  vehicles  and  the 
bodies  of  carriages  on  castors. 

When  a  play  requires  numerous  and  rapid  changes 
of  scene,  two  scenes  placed  back  to  back  are  disposed 
on  a  turn-table,  and  at  the  required  moment  a  group 
of  actors  leave  by  rotation,  while  another  group 
appears  in  an  entirely  different  scene. 

Independently  of  the  actors,  there  are  on  the  scene 
other  persons,  clothed  in  black,  who  are  supposed  to 
be  invisible. 

These  are  the  kuromango  ;  they  go,  come,  move 
about,  busy  themselves  with  the  accessories,  snuff  the 
candles,  intervene  even  in  the  most  thrilling  mo- 
ments ;  they  seem  to  have  been  put  there  to  solace 
the  actor  in  the  sorrow  and  the  emotions  he  feigns ; 
they  slip  behind  him,  within  the  folds  of  his  ample 
dress,  a  footstool  which  helps  him  to  recover  breath  ; 
they  pass  him  a  handkerchief,  a  cup  of  tea,  etc.  In 
the  scene  where  a  frightful  warrior  prepares  to  cut 
the  throat  of  an  innocent  young  girl,  we  perceive  two 
of  these  innocent  little  dramatic  gnomes ;  the  one 


264  Manners  and  Customs. 

refreshes  his  man  with  vigorous  wavings  of  the  fan, 
and  the  other,  kneeling,  holds  at  the  end  of  a  long 
stick  a  wax  taper  which  lights  up  the  grimacing 
mask  of  the  actor. 

The  subjects  of  the  pieces  so  represented  are  taken 
from  history  and  legend. 

The  play  is  not  so  long  in  the  itinerant  theatres, 
but,  as  the  manners  there  are  nearer  the  truth  of  life, 
it  is  perhaps  more  interesting  for  us.  In  them 
are  represented  vaudevilles  and  farces,  which  often 
have  the  attraction  of  actuality.  The  introduction 
into  current  life  of  Western  usages  and  products, 
giving  rise  to  an  infinite  number  of  grotesque  and 
ridiculous  incidents,  the  actors  of  such  like  drolleries 
have  drawn  largely  on  them. 

Such  a  resource  was  wanting  to  their  predecessors, 
who  had  no  material  to  exercise  their  talent  on  but 
the  eccentricities  of  the  Japanese  character.  Here 
is  an  example  of  the  kind  picked  up  in  a  "  market 
theatre,"  which  is  held  from  one  end  of  the  year  to 
the  other  at  the  approaches  of  the  temple  of  Assaksa 
at  Tokio  : 

A  husband  has  just  lost  his  wife ;  a  bonze  is  about 
to  say  his  prayer,  accompanied  with  the  roll  of  a  big 
drum,  according  to  the  prescribed  rites.  The  hus- 
band addresses  the  priest  in  reference  to  the  obse- 
quies, and  asks  him  to  trace  with  a  learned  brush 
upon  the  little  board  that  he  brings  an  epitaph 


Theatrical  Representations.  265 

worthy  of  his  better  half.  Discussions,  plays  of 
words,  epigrams,  repartees  on  the  part  of  the  bonze, 
pleasantries  on  that  of  the  widower  follow. 

The  piece  at  this  final  stage  runs  :  Frightened  by 
the  demands  of  the  priest,  moved  by  the  thought  of 
the  extravagant  sums  that  he  will  be  constrained  to 
disburse,  the  man  comes  to  regret  bitterly  that  his 
wife  is  dead. 

Wrestlers  are  in  great  vogue  in  Japan,  and  enjoy 
an  exceptional  consideration  ;  so  much  so  that  they 
were  allowed  to  carry  arms,  even  when  that  privilege 
was  reserved  for  the  nobility.  Exercising  their  pro- 
fession from  generation  to  generation,  subject  to  a 
special  training,  the  sumo  form  a  race  apart  in  the 
nation,  and  attain  extraordinary  physical  develop- 
ment. 

There  exist  three  classes  of  wrestlers  :  the  aspirants, 
komosobi ;  the  masters,  maigashira  ;  and  the  grand- 
masters, ose'ki.  The  last  title  can  only  be  obtained 
by  eminent  prowess. 

The  announcement  of  the  opening  of  one  of  their 
arenas — for  they  have  no  fixed  theatre — puts  all  the 
population  of  a  town  in  a  flutter. 

Several  days  in  advance,  a  crier,  perched  on  the 
top  of  a  high  tower  made  of  bamboos  skilfully 
massed  together,  announces  the  representation  by 
striking  a  drum.  The  streets  are  decked  with  im- 
mense banners  ornamented  in  a  thousand  ways. 


266 


Manners  and  Customs. 


A  circular  platform  on  which  the  wrestling  is  to 
come  off  is  erected  in  the  centre  of  a  vast  circus 
fitted  up  with  tiers  of  seats,  where  the  crowd  is 
packed,  and  where  people  bet  as  we  bet  at  our  horse- 
races. 

The  umpires  of  the  wrestling  match  take  their 
place  on  the  platform  ;  they  follow  all  the  changes 


THE    WRESTLERS. 

of  fortune  in  the  battle  with  an  authority  equal  to 
that  of  the  seconds  in  a  duel.  These  functions, 
which  are  transmitted  from  father  to  son,  require, 
in  order  to  be  worthily  fulfilled,  knowledge  highly 
difficult,  it  is  said,  to  acquire.  The  most  renowned 
are  the  kimura,  descendants  of  a  family  whose  origin 
is  lost  in  the  night  of  past  time. 


Theatrical  Representations.  267 

Everything  that  has  any  relation  to  dancing  is 
held  in  great  honour  in  Japan.  At  Kioto,  the 
ancient  capital,  the  government  defrays  the  expense 
of  an  institution  which  recalls  our  "  Conservatoire  " 
in  Paris. 

The  dai-Kagura,  or  dance  of  the  Corean  tiger, 
recalling  the  conquest  of  that  country  by  the  cele- 
brated Empress  Zingo-Kogo,  is  one  of  the  most 
popular. 

One  of  the  most  curious  examples  of  the  chore- 
graphic  genius  of  Japan  is  the  matsu-odori,  the  dance 
of  the  pine.  The  gestures  of  the  dancer  imitate  the 
capricious  branches  of  the  evergreen  tree.  Fans, 
which  here  play  a  great  rdle,  are  used  as  accessories 
in  the  innumerable  dances,  which,  though  all  more 
ingeniously  graceful  one  than  another,  present  each 
a  special  characteristic.  Each  place  has  its  own. 
The  kiinokumi,  dance  of  the  province  of  Ku,  is  ac- 
companied with  a  chant  which  recites  the  adventures 
of  two  lovers  represented  by  two  fans.  Each  step, 
every  one  of  the  elegant  evolutions  of  the  danseuse 
(the  gue'chd]  answers  to  a  thought,  to  a  situation. 
The  spectator  looks,  therefore,  at  a  sort  of  poem  in 
action,  in  which  the  initiated  take  an  extreme 
pleasure,  both  artistic  and  refined. 

The  Japanese  have  acrobats  and  marvellous  pres- 
tidigitators ;  their  skill  surpasses  belief. 


268  Manners  and  Customs. 

The  narrators  of  tales,  who  never  fail  of  an  audi- 
tory, also  merit  mention. 

RELIGION. 

Two  creeds  share  —  we  will  not  say  dispute, 
seeing  they  live  on  terms -of  mutual  good  under- 
standing— Japan  between  them  :  Shintoism  and 
Buddhism. 

Shinto  is  a  sort  of  national  cult.  It  admits  the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  future  life,  with  an  eternal 
hell  and  an  eternal  heaven,  enjoins  respect  for 
ancestors,  and  pays  the  Emperor  the  acknowledgment 
of  a  divine  origin. 

The  world  as  it  exists  is  the  result  of  the  efforts 
of  several  generations  of  gods. 

After  Ame-no-Mina-Kanuchi-no-Kami,  who  first 
appeared  and  created  the  heaven  and  earth,  there 
came  others  who  finished  the  work  he  commenced. 

Amaterasu,  daughter  of  the  god  Isanagi  and  of  the 
goddess  Isanami,  who  populated  the  earth,  was  ap- 
pointed to  govern  the  sun  ;  a  race  of  demi-gods,  issue 
of  the  same  stock,  afterwards  reigned  over  Japan 
until  Zin-mu-Ten-no,  who,  breaking  off  all  attach- 
ment with  heaven,  became  the  founder  of  the 
present  monarchy. 

The  title  of  Kami  has  since  then  been  given  to 
the  heroes  and  the  benefactors  of  humanity,  who  by 


Religion.  269 


their  valour  and  their  virtues  deserved  to  be  held 
up  as  an  example  to  other  men. 

It  is  in  this  way  that  the  Emperor  Hatchiman 
became  the  patron  of  warriors,  and  Ten-man-gu,  a 
celebrated  minister,  the  patron  of  letters. 

Held  in  almost  as  much  honour  as  those  are  cer- 
tain old  men,  solitary  and  virtuous,  albeit  sorcerers, 
under  the  title  of  Sennins  : 

Gama  Sennin  and  his  three-footed  toad. 

Koi  Sennin  (Kin-ko  in  Chinese),  who  sails  standing 
on  a  big  fish. 

Kokaku  Sennin,  who  cleaves  the  air,  borne  by  a 
crane. 

Kore-jin,  who  tames  the  tigers. 

Bugen  Sensei,  with  his  gourd  from  which  escapes 
a  vapour  giving  birth  to  a  mongrel  horse,  etc. 

The  purity  of  the  Shinto  religion,  which  rejects 
all  representations  of  the  gods,  and  has  only  a  very 
limited  officiating  flersonnet,  suffered  for  an  instant 
from  the  influence  of  Buddhism,  whose  external 
pomp  is  without  bounds.  A  sect  arose,  that  of  Rio- 
Bou,  which  endeavoured  to  unite  the  two  cults  into 
one.  This  sect  no  longer  exists. 

The  natural  wood,  without  ornament,  is  employed 
in  the  construction  of  Shinto  temples.  In  them  you 
find  neither  paint,  nor  varnish,  nor  sculpture,  nor 
gilding.  Three  objects — a  mirror,  a  sword,  and  a 
gohe,  a  sort  of  cat-o'nine-tails  without  handle,  in 


270  Manners  and  Customs. 

which  strips  of  paper  cut  zigzag  take  the  place  of 
thongs — are  laid  on  a  table  at  the  bottom  of  the 
otherwise  completely  bare  sanctuary. 

Shinto  is  the  religion  of  the  higher  classes  and 
of  the  lettered — it  would  be  more  just  to  say 
that  for  them  it  takes  the  place  of  religion.  The 
unobtrusive  external  manifestations  are  often  con- 
founded by  the  people  with  those  of  Buddhism, 
which  are  more  attractive  for  them.  It  is  also  diffi- 
cult to  assign  with  certainty  a  political  state  to 
certain  popular  divinities. 

What,  for  example,  is  known  precisely  of  the 
origin  of  the  passengers  of  the  Takara-bune',  the 
enchanted  barque  that  is  wafted  with  full  sail  on  a 
calm  sea?  A  crane  winging  its  way  through  the 
sky  suffused  with  the  saffron  flush  of  the  rising  sun, 
takes  the  lead  of  the  barque,  and  is  immediately 
followed  by  a  swimming  turtle. 

On  board  are  the  Sichi-fuku-djin,  the  joyous  troop 
of  the  seven  gods  of  prosperity.  First,  Benten, 
whose  scarf  flutters  in  the  wind.  She  holds  a  lute 
and  a  fan.  The  question  of  her  origin,  which  is 
Indian,  is  settled,  but  her  attributes  are  defined  with 
just  as  little  precision  as  are  those  of  her  compan- 
ions. She  might  be  at  once  goddess  of  marriage,  of 
the  sea  and  of  music,  of  musicians  and  dancers, 
patroness  of  artists  and  of  the  sky  into  the  bargain. 
They  all  literally  dispute  for  her  possession. 


PREACHER. 


DANCER. 


ASSISTANT. 


THE   MIRROR-DANCE. 


SHINTOISTS. 
271 


272  Manners  and  Customs. 

Hote'i,  the  friend  of  children,  never  goes  without 
a  big  sack  full  of  one  knows  not  what — nothing 
very  precious  at  any  rate, — perhaps  the  wallet  of 
the  mendicant,  for  he  preaches  gaily  his  contempt 
for  riches. 

Dai  Kokou,  on  the  contrary,  is  the  god  of  opu- 
lence, and  as  formerly  the  wealth  of  people  was 
measured  by  the  quantity  of  bundles  of  rice  they 
possessed,  he  is  always  represented  with  his  big 
shoes,  spread  out  among  the  rice  bundles  and 
watched  by  the  rats. 

The  miners'  sledge-hammer,  which  recalls  the 
treasures  drawn  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  is  one 
of  his  attributes. 

Yebisu,  god  of  commercial  honesty  and  of  nour- 
ishment, patron  of  fishers,  is  hooded  with  a  swelling 
head-dress.  He  is  always  seen  in  company  with  a 
fish,  as  large  as  himself,  the  ta'i  or  dorade. 

Foku-roku-djon :  god  of  longevity.  The  stork 
and  the  turtle  serve  as  his  emblems  ;  at  the  end 
of  a  long  baton  which  he  holds  is  attached  a  roll 
of  prayers.  He  bears  sometimes,  besides,  on  his 
bald  and  immensely  swollen  head,  a  little  smiling 
bonhomme,  wrapped  up  and  hooded,  with  a  mallet 
in  his  hand.  This  high  personage  sums  up  in 
himself  the  Chinese  trinity  of  the  gods  of  fortune. 


Religion.  273 


Fo,  rank,  honour ;  Lo,  family  joys  ;  and  Cho,  lon- 
gevity. He,  moreover,  personates  the  star  of  the 
south. 

Djou-ro-djin  is  a  jovial  old  man  invested  with  the 
ensigns  of  the  man  of  letters ;  he  holds  a  screen, 
and  a  kind  of  shepherd's  crook,  to  which  is  sus- 
pended a  roll  of  papers.  A  sacred  crane  is  attached 
to  his  person.  His  attributes  are  confounded  with 
those  of  Foku-roku-djou,  as  it  also  happens  that  they 
interchange  attributes. 

Bishamon :  god  of  military  glory,  of  Hindoo  origin, 
with  a  martial  mieu,  armed  with  a  lance  or  a  club 
enveloped  in  cloth.  He  holds  a  pagoda  in  his  open 
left  hand. 

Quite  as  popular  as  the  preceding  is  Inari,  the 
god  who  is  credited  with  having  introduced  the  cul- 
ture of  rice  into  Japan.  Everywhere  in  the  country 
there  are  raised  to  him  altars  guarded  by  foxes 
in  stone. 

Among  the  supernatural  beings  of  whom  the  peo- 
ple have  to  take  account,  it  is  proper  to  mention  : 

Iwanaga-Hime :  the  goddess  of  the  mountain. 
Jan-Sen-Siz :  god  of  war,  with  three  heads  and 


274  Manners  and  Customs. 

six  arms,  mounted  upon  a  boar.     He   is  descended 
from  Maritchi,  the  bringer  of  fire  in  India. 

Kazeno-Kami  or  Put  en  :  god  of  the  winds ;  he 
holds  an  inflated  leather  bottle  on  his  shoulders. 

Kaminari  or  Reiden,  god  of  thunder,  is  sur- 
rounded by  drums,  which  are  suspended  in  a  halo 
of  glory  from  a  hoop  in  the  middle  of  which  he 
officiates,  by  striking  with  all  his  might. 

Godzu-  Tenno  :  god  of  the  waves. 

Tsukuyomi :  the  god  of  the  moon,  that  star  in 
which  the  Japanese,  as  may  be  remarked  in  passing, 
have  discovered,  instead  of  the  whining  mask  we 
there  see,  a  white  rabbit  pounding  some  rice  in 
a  mortar. 

Takoaka-mi-no-kami,  is  a  sort  of  dragon,  that 
holds  in  his  empire  the  rain,  the  snow,  and  the 
hurricane. 

Kappa,  the  great  serpent  of  the  lake,  nourishes 
himself  on  the  intestines  of  the  people  that  he  draws 
to  the  bottom  of  the  waters,  and  vigorously  con- 
tends with  Tatsu  and  Kirin,  monsters  no  less 
frightful  than  himself. 


Religion.  275 


The  Great  Cat  of  the  Mountain,  though  several 
hundreds  of  years  old,  is  for  all  that  a  being  not  to 
be  scorned.  His  depredations  are  exerted  against 
strayed  travellers. 

Less  dangerous  are  the  Shojos,  green  monsters 
with  red  old  wigs,  who  live  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  are  impaired  only  by  sakt. 

The  Tengus  are  not  very  fierce,  either  ;  winged 
personages  with  noses  of  exaggerated  proportions. 
They  exercise  on  the  earth  the  role  of  Heaven's 
police.  To  aid  them  in  this  ungrateful  task,  they 
have  servitors  winged  like  themselves,  but  with  huge 
crooked  noses,  distinguishing  them  from  their 
masters. 

All  this  fantastic  mythology  is  completed  by  an 
innumerable  legend  of  demons  that  are  designated 
under  the  collective  name  of  Ogni,  and  by  the  five 
fabulous  animals  named  below  : 

The  dragon  (rid),  which  in  China,  whence  it 
comes,  is  the  emblem  of  imperial  power,  is  in  Japan 
no  more  than  a  monster  born  of  the  hurricane  or  of 
the  foam  of  the  maddened  ocean-waves. 

The  phcenix  (hoho)  is  to  the  sovereign  of  the  Em- 
pire of  the  Rising  Sun  what  the  dragon  is  to  the  ruler 
of  the  Middle  Empire.  It  differs  in  no  respect  from 
the  bird  known  in  Europe  under  this  name. 


276  Manners  and  Customs. 

The  kirin  or  kilin  has  the  body  and  hoofs  of  a  stag, 
the  tail  of  a  bull,  and  the  head  of  a  horse,  with  con- 
vulsed features,  and  bears  on  its  forehead  a  rhinoce- 
ros horn. 

The  fantastic  lion,  remarkable  for  the  tufts  of  hair 
very  regularly  curled  which  covers  his  body.  He  is 
ordinarily  represented  playing  with  a  ball. 

The  sacred  turtle  (kame),  emblem  of  longevity,  is 
distinguished  from  profane  turtles  by  a  broad  tail 
with  wavy  hair. 

The  date  of  the  introduction  of  Buddhism  into 
Japan  is  a  strongly  contested  point.  It  has  been 
placed  between  the  fourth  and  the  sixth  century  of 
our  era.  It  is  now  divided  into  six  principal  sects, 
which  are  :  Zen-Siu,  Sin-Gon,  Ten-Dai,  Hokke  Siou, 
Giodo,  and  Sin-Siu.  These  sects  present  to  view  a 
host  of  divinities  taken  from  India,  such  as  Brahma, 
Indra,  Garouda,  etc.,  and  numbers  of  Kamis  borrowed 
from  Shintoism. 

The  four  principal  personages  of  this  theogony, 
however,  are  : 

Amida :  Buddha,  eternal,  who  presides  over 
Dharma-Datsu  (or  Paradise  of  Sukhavati),  an  im- 
mense lake  where  the  blessed  are  united,  sitting 
cross-legged  upon  the  flowers  of  the  full-blown  lotos. 


278  Manners  and  Customs. 

Jizo  :  saviour  of  the  souls  of  children.  He  watches 
that  their  pastimes  are  not  troubled  by  the  demons. 
Children  dying  are  found  again  on  the  shores  of 
the  celebrated  lake,  and  there  their  principal  amuse- 
ment consists  in  constructing,  with  stones  and  sand, 
little  edifices  which  the  demons  are  mad  on  demol- 
ishing. 

Kuan-non,  god  of  charity  and  of  compassion,  has 
the  power  of  changing  his  sex,  and  of  dividing 
himself  into  two  under  the  name  of  Seis-si,  god  of 
Prayer,  in  order  to  accompany  Amida. 

Fudo-mio-6,  commonly  Fudo-sama,  is  the  chief  of 
the  Tembus.  He  emanates  from  Varuna,  the  Hindoo 
god  of  the  starry  heavens.  A  great  judge,  none  of 
men's  actions  escape  him.  The  sun  owes  its  light  to 
his  eye,  the  night  to  the  stars  that  serve  him  as  spies. 

He  is  always  represented  surrounded  by  flames, 
standing  upon  a  rock,  whence  burst  the  waters  in  a 
cascade.  Accoutred  like  a  warrior,  he  holds  in  one 
hand  a  straight  sword  and  in  the  other  a  cord  coiled 
up  and  ending  in  a  slip  knot. 

The  Tembus,  his  subordinates,  are  sanctified 
demons  who  are  charged  to  reclaim  sinners  by 
terror  and  hard  treatment  to  goodness. 

A  Buddha  is  a  man  become  god. 

A  Bbdhisattwa  is  a  man  who  has  reached  the 
highest  degree  of  sanctity. 

The  angels,  the  Tennins,  are  beautiful  young  girls 


Religion.  2  79 


sumptuously  clothed,  who  soar  in  the  air  playing  on 
various  musical  instruments. 

Yomitsu-Kuni  (the  country  of  the  retreat  of  souls) 
is  the  name  given  to  a  star  where  are  found  combined 
hell  and  paradise. 

In  hell,  the  damned  are  subjected  to  the  most 
varied  tortures  specially  adapted  to  the  nature  of 
their  misdeeds.  Their  condemnation  is  pronounced 
by  a  tribunal  over  which  presides  a  grand  judge 
named  Ycma.  The  examination  of  each  case  does 
not  last  long.  The  culprit  is  brought  before  a  magic 
mirror  that  shows  to  all  eyes,  not  his  picture,  but 
that  of  the  crime  he  has  committed. 

Christianity  was  preached  for  the  first  time  in 
Japan  by  Saint  Frangois-Xavier,  who  disembarked 
there  in  1549.  Thirty-five  years  later,  the  embassy 
of  a  powerful  da'imio  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
Pope.  In  the  interval  a  Catholic  church  had  been 
constructed  at  Kioto. 

Doubtless  the  impression  which  the  embassy 
brought  back  of  Rome  was  not  favourable,  for  it 
was  upon  its  return  that  the  famous  Shogun  Hide- 
yoshi  drove  away  the  Christian  missionaries. 

During  the  fifty  years  that  followed,  1587  to  1637, 
the  variances  assumed  a  more  and  more  pronounced 
character.  After  the  missionaries,  the  foreigners 
were  expelled,  and  all  commerce  with  the  outside 
world  was  interdicted.  In  1638,  there  was  no  longer 


280  Manners  and  Customs. 

a  single  Christian  in  Japan.  They  had  been  all 
massacred  in  consequence  of  the  great  revolt  of 
Shimabara. 

The  Dutch  alone,  after  having  ousted  their  rivals, 
the  Portuguese,  succeeded  in  establishing  themselves 
at  Deshima,  where  they  were  allowed  twice  a  year, 
and  at  the  cost  of  excessive  vexatious  formalities, 
to  exchange  the  products  of  Europe  for  those  of 
Japan. 

However,  in  1846,  Nangasaki,  the  ancient  suffra- 
gan diocese  of  Goa,  was  converted  into  an  apostolic 
vicarate,  since  divided,  in  1876,  into  two  parts,  a 
north  and  a  south.  The  first,  with  a  population  of 
16,800,000,  counted  at  the  last  census  4,85 5  Catholics, 
with  a  bishop  and  twenty-four  European  priests ; 
the  second  with  a  population  of  17,125,000,  has 
24,350  Catholics,  with  one  bishop,  twenty-four 
European  and  two  native  priests. 

A  PAGE  OF  HISTORY. 

There  is  no  record  in  history  of  the  appearance 
of  Europeans  in  Japan  before  1542,  when  the 
Portuguese  imported  firearms. 

This  assertion  is,  perhaps,  over-venturesome,  con- 
sidering the  ancient  relations  of  the  Empire  of  the 
Rising  Sun  with  the  Celestial  Empire,  which  did  not 
wait  for  Friar  Schwartz  to  invent  gunpowder. 


A  Page  of  History.  281 

Some  years  later  came  St.  Frangois-Xavier  with 
the  cross,  symbol  of  peace  and  love,  to  succeed  the 
arquebus — the  remedy  after  the  evil. 

We  have  seen  how  his  reign  was  not  of  long 
duration. 

We  cull  from  an  old  narrative  of  travels  the 
following  chapter,  giving  a  very  racy  account  of 
the  endeavours  of  the  Portuguese  in  1685  to 
reinstall  themselves  in  favour  with  the  Japanese.* 

An  unsuccessful  mission  to  Japan  by  the  Portuguese 
and  some  natives  of  Macao,  undertaken,  with  a  view 
to  the  re-establishment  of  the  commercial  relations 
which  came  to  an  end  in  the  anterior  persecution  of 
the  Christians. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  Macao  have  already  made 
many  attempts  to  recover  a  friendly  footing  with 
the  Japanese,  but  always  fruitlessly.  The  Japanese 
preferred  to  lose  several  thousands  of  crowns  owing 
them  by  the  Portuguese  rather  than  to  be  reconciled 
to  them,  having  sworn  by  their  gods  to  admit  no 
more  Christians  into  their  country,  and  to  kill  them 
without  quarter,  if  found  there.  The  Dutch,  who 
want  the  trade  with  the  Japanese  all  to  themselves, 
advised  them,  in  order  to  prevent  Christians,  under 
the  name  of  other  nations,  from  introducing  them- 
selves, to  lay  a  crucifix  on  the  ground  at  the  place 


*  Giro  del  Mondo.     Per  Gemelli-Careri,  Napoli,  1699-1700. 


282    .  Manners  and  Customs. 

of  landing,  so  as  to  find  out  whether  any  one  dis- 
embarking were  a  Christian  or  not,  because  if  a 
Christian  he  would  either  refuse  to  trample  on  the 
crucifix,  or  at  least  hesitate  to  do  so,  in  order  to 
enter  Nangasake". 

"  In  this  way  the  Dutch  clutched  hold  of  the  com- 
merce of  the  country,  to  the  exclusion  of  every 
other  nation,  forswearing  their  Christianity  before 
the  Japanese,  and  making  no  scruple  of  treading 
under  foot  that  sacred  symbol ;  an  example  which 
the  English  have  no  wish  to  follow.  This  is  so 
true,  that  I  have  in  China  seen  a  Chinaman  who 
assured  me  how  he  had  himself  trampled  upon 
it,  and  that,  having  since  had  the  happiness  to 
become  a  Christian  at  Nankin,  he  had  confessed 
this  impiety. 

"  Some  years  ago,  several  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  of  Macao  risked  themselves  in  an  intrepid 
manner  to  die  or,  by  force  of  benefits,  regain  the 
hardened  hearts  of  the  Japanese.  They  were  per- 
suaded that  God  had  just  furnished  them  with  an 
opportunity  of  planting  anew  the  tree  of  the  Cross 
in  this  powerful  Empire.  This  is  how  it  happened. 
In  the  month  of  February,  1685,  a  Japanese  barque, 
laden  with  tobacco,  was  wrecked  near  Macao,  and 
twelve  Japanese  who  were  on  board  were  saved  along 
with  the  barque.  The  town  took  them  in  charge, 


A  Page  of  History.  283 


and  the  barque  and  what  of  the  merchandise  could 
be  saved  were  sold  for  their  benefit.  A  council  was 
held  on  the  matter,  and  it  was  agreed  that  here  was 
a  good  means  for  renewing  commercial  relations 
with  that  island,  the  Jesuit  Fathers  themselves  being 
of  that  opinion. 

"  The  town,  then,  and  the  Jesuit  Fathers  hired  a 
vessel  whereon  embarked  the  Japanese.  It  set  sail 
the  1 3th  June,  and  arrived  at  Nangasak6  the  2d 
July  during  the  night.  At  once  a  mandarin  called 
St.  Paul  (sic)  came  on  board  the  vessel,  with  an 
interpreter  and  four  secretaries,  one  of  whom  was 
sent  by  the  Governor,  the  second  by  the  civil  magis- 
trate, the  third  by  the  town,  and  the  last  by  the 
judge  of  religion.  All  four  were  to  write  separately 
the  demands  addressed  by  the  interpreter  and  the 
answers  of  the  Portuguese,  in  order  that  there  might 
be  no  deception.  The  interpreter  knelt  before  the 
mandarin.  Never  did  judge  use  so  many  devices 
to  entrap  a  culprit  into  confession  of  crime,  as  did 
the  mandarin  to  compel  the  Portuguese  to  admit 
that  they  were  not  ignorant  of  the  ancient  law 
which  forbade,  under  penalty  of  death,  any  Christian 
vessel  from  approaching  the  empire  of  Japan,  and, 
in  case  of  its  approaching,  of  the  necessity  of  under- 
going the  punishment  without  any  remission. 

"  The  Portuguese  were  soon  aware  of  the  designs 


284  Manners  and  Customs. 

of  the  mandarin,  and  prudently  answered  all  his 
questions,  without  ever  giving  him  reason  to  think 
that  they  had  ever  known  anything  of  the  inter- 
dict. They  were  asked  when  the  barque  had  been 
wrecked ;  in  what  quarter  of  Macao  the  twelve 
Japanese  had  lived  ;  if  they  had  associated  with  the 
Christians ;  what  the  town  of  Macao  wanted  of 
them  ;  if  there  were  no  old  men  in  the  vessel  who 
might  remember  what  had  passed  between  the 
Christians  and  the  Japanese.  At  last  several  other 
questions  were  put  to  them,  which  the  four  secretaries 
wrote  with  the  replies,  to  convey  to  their  superiors. 
After  having  taken  the  number  of  the  crew  and  the 
measure  of  the  vessel,  the  mandarin  went  away 
again  with  those  who  had  come  with  him. 

"  The  lower  class  of  people  in  Japan  live  in  a 
condition  worse  than  that  of  slaves  in  their  relations 
with  the  nobles  and  mandarins.  They  dare  not 
speak  to  them  but  upon  their  knees,  the  head  bowed 
towards  the  ground,  the  hands  clasped  over  the  fore- 
head and  stretched  toward  the  mandarin  as  a  mark 
of  respect.  It  was  thus  the  interpreter  did  when  the 
captain  of  the  ship  had  replied.  If  a  mandarin  were 
to  embark  on  a  vessel,  the  crew  of  which  might 
number  a  thousand  men,  not  a  single  word  would  be 
heard,  the  command  being  given  by  signs.  The 
pilot  uses  a  fan,  which  he  waves  to  the  right  or  to 
the  left  to  direct  the  steersman. 


A  Page  of  History.  285 

"  The  next  day  the  mandarin  departed  in  a  palan- 
quin for  Amiaco,  formerly  Meaco,  where  he  went  to 
give  an  account  to  the  Emperor  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Portuguese  vessel ;  and,  during  his  journey,  there 
was  sent  from  the  town  to  the  vessel  a  quantity  of 
provisions.  It  was  made  known  to  the  Portuguese 
that  they  had  only  to  ask  for  what  they  needed  to 
have  it  given  to  them  ;  and,  although  they  were  not 
very  importunate  in  their  demands,  the  Japanese  did 
not  fail  to  furnish  them  what  they  deemed  they 
might  require. 

"  The  vessel  was  guarded  day  and  night  by  ten 
funes,  or  barques  rilled  with  soldiers,  who  took  care 
that  no  Portuguese  set  foot  on  land,  nor  threw  any- 
thing into  the  sea.  It  even  happened  one  day  that 
a  duck  having  escaped,  several  of  these  barques  gave 
chase  for  a  long  time  endeavouring  to  catch  it.  It 
was  taken  and  brought  to  the  Governor,  who  sent  it 
back  to  the  vessel,  with  orders  to  take  greater  care 
that  no  other  animal  escaped,  and  to  let  the  slops  be 
emptied  in  the  presence  of  the  soldiers. 

"  The  Dutch,  thinking  that  the  vessel  was  one  of 
theirs,  went  with  a  little  boat  to  board  it  ;  but,  find- 
ing it  to  be  Portuguese,  and  learning  the  reason  for 
its  coming,  they  returned,  telling  the  Portuguese  that 
in  that  country  it  was  necessary  to  speak  the  truth. 
These  gentlemen  have  not  the  same  freedom  in  the 
factory  of  Nangasake  as  in  the  other  factories  of  the 


286  Manners  and  Customs. 


Indies.  As  soon  as  one  of  their  vessels  arrives,  a 
mandarin  goes  aboard,  counts  the  crew,  and  orders 
the  sails  and  helm  to  be  carried  ashore. 

"  If  any  one  dies  the  mandarin  must  see  the  corpse 
before  it  is  interred.  Six  years  ago  there  were  two 
sailors  missing,  who  had  gone  ashore,  and  who  were 
suspected  to  be  Jesuits  that  had  taken  this  way  of 
entering  the  Empire.  All  the  trouble  in  the  world 
had  to  be  taken  to  hide  their  flight,  and  it  was  only 
with  much  money  that  the  mandarin  was  bought 
over,  and  shown  two  places  where  it  was  pretended 
the  sailors  were  buried.  Since  then  the  Dutch  take 
no  stranger  on  board  their  vessels  bound  for  Japan. 
All  in  their  vessels  must  be  Dutchmen  born,  and  the 
country  of  their  father  and  of  their  mother  be 
known.  They  hold  no  communication  whatever 
with  the  town,  and  are  obliged  to  live  in  their  fac- 
tory, which  is  situated  on  a  rock  surrounded  by  walls, 
and  has  two  entrances,  one  on  the  port  side,  for 
shipment  of  merchandise,  which  is  closed  by  five 
seals  as  soon  as  the  ships  have  lifted  anchor,  with 
injunctions  not  to  open  it  under  penalty  of  death  ; 
the  other  on  the  town  side,  where  there  is  always  a 
guard.  The  Japanese  permit  commercial  transac- 
tions to  be  made  only  once  a  year,  when  a  passport 
is  given  to  the  person,  who  must  go,  and,  in  the 
name  of  the  Company,  salute  the  Emperor  at 
Amiaco. 


A  Page  of  History.  287 


"  The  mandarin  returned  from  the  Court  thirty- 
five  days  after,  and  if  he  was  so  long  on  his  journey, 
it  was  because  it  required  sixteen  to  seventeen  days 
to  make  it.  He  went  on  board  the  vessel  with 
secretaries  and  interpreters.  He  said  nothing  about 
his  journey  to  the  captain,  and  made  him  under- 
stand that  neither  the  Emperor  nor  his  council 
knew  of  the  arrival  of  the  ship,  but  that  communi- 
cation having  been  made  with  a  Secretary  of  State, 
the  latter  had  taken  up  the  affair,  because  no  one 
could  speak  with  his  Majesty.  He  added  that  he  (the 
captain)  might  sail  away,  but  that  henceforth  neither 
he  nor  any  Portuguese  should  take  it  into  their 
heads  to  approach  these  islands  under  any  pretext 
whatever  ;  that  for  the  present  they  were  pardoned 
and  spared  their  lives,  in  recognition  of  the  services 
that  they  had  rendered  to  the  twelve  Japanese  who 
were  conducted  into  the  town,  where  perhaps  they 
were  made  to  suffer  death.  After  this,  stringent 
prohibition  the  captain  asked  what  it  would  be 
necessary  to  do  if  some  other  Japanese  barque  were 
shipwrecked  on  Portuguese  territory,  but  he  received 
no  answer. 

"  Then  was  read  the  order  of  the  Emperor,  that 
had  been  sent  in  a  letter  by  the  Secretary  of  State, 
and  each  time  the  name  of  the  monarch  was  pro- 
nounced all  the  Japanese  knelt.  The  time  of 
departure  was  fixed,  and  all  necessary  provisions 


288  Manners  and  Customs. 

promised.  They  were  warned,  however,  that  if 
tempest  or  accident  obliged  them  to  put  back,  they 
must  return  to  Nangasak£,  and  must  not  make  for 
any  other  port,  because  of  the  danger  to  which  they 
would  be  exposed.  The  Japanese  having  withdrawn, 
a  number  of  barques  towed  the  vessel  within  range  of 
the  cannon  of  the  port  of  the  town,  where  it  remained 
six  weeks,  awaiting  a  favourable  season.  When  this 
came,  the  Japanese  carried  to  the  ship  the  provisions 
demanded,  as  also  water,  which  they  tasted  in 
presence  of  the  Portuguese,  in  order  to  let  them  see 
that  there  was  nothing  to  fear.  They  then  returned 
to  them  the  images,  rosaries,  and  crosses  which  they 
had  taken  from  them  upon  their  arrival,  and  which 
they  had  shut  up  in  a  box,  so  much  horror  have  they 
for  the  devotions  of  the  Christians.  They  had  pre- 
viously, on  their  arrival,  demanded  why  they  carried 
a  cross  into  their  pavilion,  upon  which  the  Portuguese 
replied  that  it  was  their  king's  Arms.  At  last,  after 

much  expense,  the  vessel  returned  to  Macao  without 

« 

any  success. 

"  The  pilot,  the  boatswain,  and  several  sailors  who 
were  on  this  voyage,  have  told  me  that  the  channel 
of  Nangasake,  at  the  entrance,  is  very  difficult,  in 
consequence  of  sand-banks,  islands,  and  rocks,  apart 
from  the  trouble  of  casting  anchor  four  times  in  a 
tide,  which  at  certain  hours  of  the  day  is  favourable, 
and  at  others  unfavourable.  There  are  five  guards 


A  Page  of  History.  289 

posted  along  the  canal,  and  two  bodies  of  coast- 
guards at  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  to  send  word  to 
the  town  when  any  vessel  is  sighted.  In  this  way 
Nangasake,  that  has  neither  walls  nor  cannon,  finds 
its  security  simply  in  the  vigilance  of  its  inhabitants. 
The  houses  are  of  wood  ;  the  streets  are  barricaded 
during  the  night,  and  guarded  by  captains,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  report  all  that  passes. 

"  Nangasake  is  on  the  western  side  of  Japan,  and 
a  mile  in  circumference.  The  Japanese  shave  their 
heads  from  forehead  to  crown,  leaving  the  other  hair 
very  short.  They  go  bareheaded  when  out-of-doors  ; 
only  the  mandarins  wear  a  hat  of  fine  straw.  They 
shave  their  beard  entirely  ;  their  clothing  is  short,  at 
least  that  of  the  Japanese  I  have  seen.  They  tuck 
in  their  dress  with  a  girdle,  in  which  they  place  their 
two  scimitars,  a  long  and  a  short  one.  The  women 
are  dressed  in  the  same  manner  ;  they  wear  their  hair 
dishevelled.  They  use  only  paper  pocket-handker- 
chiefs, which  they  throw  away  immediately  after 
using  them.  The  surrounding  country  of  Nangasake 
is  mountainous,  but  so  fertile  as  to  produce  most  of 
the  fruits  of  Europe. 

"  It  is  also  known  that  the  Japanese  are  idolaters 
in  religion  ;  fair  of  complexion,  like  Europeans ; 
robust  of  build  and  tall  of  stature  ;  their  swords  heavy 
and  wielded  with  both  hands.  They  have  a  drink 
called  sake,  made  of  rice  and  sugar,  and  intoxicating, 


290  Manners  and  Customs. 


besides  several  others,  green,  yellow,  or  red  in  colour. 
Most  of  their  towns  are  built  of  wood.  They  have 
gold,  silver,  and  excellent  copper  mines.  The  pearls 
they  fish  are  of  a  colour  inclined  to  sandy.  Among 
all  their  trees,  there  is  one  very  extraordinary,  since 
it  dries  when  watered  and  is  nourished  by  iron  filings 
and  dry  sand.  If  one  wishes  to  keep  its  branches 
green,  some  iron  is  put  to  them. 

"  To  return  to  the  Dutch,  of  whom  we  have  pre- 
viously spoken,  they  are  obliged  to  spend  eight 
months  of  the  year  entirely  by  themselves  in  a  penin- 
sula of  two  miles'  circuit,  called  Dichiva,*  which  is 
attached  to  the  mainland  of  Nangasake" .  During  the 
season  for  navigation,  the  factor  stations  sentinels 
upon  the  mountain  to  discover  the  incoming  Dutch 
vessels.  When  there  is  word  of  their  arrival,  and 
the  number  of  ships  is  known,  as  many  boats  put 
out  as  there  are  Dutch  merchantmen.  In  each  boat 
is  a  guard  to  take  inventory  of  the  vessel  to  which 
it  is  assigned.  The  captain  is  obliged  to  draw  up 
in  writing  the  name,  personal  description,  and  office 
of  everyone  on  board,  and  to  hand  to  said  guard  the 
list,  which  is  at  once  translated  into  Japanese  and 
immediately  despatched  by  a  courier  to  the  Emperor, 
the  postal  service  being  well  regulated  in  Japan. 
When  the  courier  returns  from  the  Court,  the  Dutch 
are  permitted  to  land,  one  after  another,  passing,  as 
*Or  Deshima. 


A  Page  of  History.  291 

if  in  review,  before  a  commissioner,  who  is  accom- 
panied by  a  Dutch  secretary  (both  holding  a  copy  of 
the  aforesaid  list),  and  a  Japanese  secretary  with  a 
translation  thereof.  As  each  one  passes,  his  name 
and  office  are  read  aloud.  The  Japanese  next  take 
the  crew  back  to  the  vessel,  and  carry  ashore  the 
sails,  arms,  and  powder.  They  lower  the  yards  and 
close  the  hatchways,  sealing  them  with  a  piece  of 
paper,  tied  with  straw  in  such  a  way  that  only  the 
Japanese  can  do  and  undo  the  knot ;  so  that,  if  one 
of  the  sailors  has  need  of  anything  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ship,  he  cannot  have  it  without  leave  of 
the  Governor,  who  sends  a  man  to  open  the  hatch 
and  shut  it  again  after  he  has  taken  the  thing  he 
wanted. 

"  The  Dutch  are  forbidden  to  light  candles  in  the 
vessel,  or  smoke  tobacco.  The  crew  of  one  vessel 
can  have  no  communication  with  that  of  another, 
and  no  one  dares  go  on  shore.  The  most  fortunate 
are  those  appointed  to  carry  to  the  Emperor  the 
present  of  the  States-General,  and  who  have  with 
them  a  goodly  escort  of  Japanese,  who  then  bring 
them  back  to  their  vessels  with  the  presents  they 
have  received  from  the  Emperor. 

"  Not  only  are  they  obliged  to  salute  the  Emperor, 
kneeling  with  clasped  hands,  but  likewise  all  the 
governors  and'  the  principal  noblemen  of  the  coun- 
try. They  are  not  permitted  to  traffic  with  the 


292  Manners  and  Customs. 

Japanese,  until  they  have  returned  from  the  Court — 
a  journey  taking  three  months  and  a  half — not  even 
with  those  who  furnish  them  their  necessary  provi- 
sions, and  who  are  paid  later  on  when  the  order  is 
given.  The  Japanese  merchants  are  allowed  to  go 
and  traffic  on  the  vessels  ;  and  six  men  are  permitted 
to  go  on  shore  to  traffic,  even  on  their  own  account, 
and  to  remain  four  days  either  in  the  peninsula,  or 
in  the  town,  according  to  their  own  choice.  They 
are  then  conducted  back  to  their  vessels,  whence  an 
equal  number  are  allowed  to  leave,  on  the  same 
errand.  This  liberty  lasts  one  month  and  a  half. 
These  six  persons  must  also  be  sailors  and  not  mer- 
chants ;  the  reason  given  by  the  Japanese  being  that 
after  having  been  held  of  little  account,  it  is  meet 
they  should  receive  promotion.  These  new  mer- 
chants hire  a  shop  for  a  crown,  from  a  man  who 
ordinarily  serves  them  as  a  servant  and  agent. 

u  As  to  the  merchandise,  the  prices  are  written  on 
the  margin  of  the  list  translated  into  Japanese, 
which  is  affixed  to  the  city  gate,  in  order  ^.hat  every- 
body may  read  it.  When  the  sale  is  at  an  end,  the 
payment  is  made  with  silver  by  weight,  because 
there  is  no  other  money  except  in  copper  of  less 
than  a  farthing  in  value. 

"  The  Dutch  carry  to  Japan  cloves,  which  they 
sell  at  the  rate  of  two  crowns  a  pound,  cinnamon 
bark,  sugar,  and  cloths.  On  their  side  they  buy 


A  Page  of  History. 


porcelain,  silver  in  ingots  of  different  weights,  and 
gold  secretly;  copper,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
thirty  Spanish  pounds  cost  twelve  crowns  ;  and  var- 
nished works. 

"  When  the  month  and  a  half  are  out,  the  Japan- 
ese are  no  longer  allowed  to  go  to  the  peninsula, 
nor  the  Dutch  to  leave  their  vessels,  except  the 
six  who  stop  in  the  factories  of  the  company  until 
the  following  year.  The  factory  is  a  house  con- 
structed of  bare  stone,  brought  by  the  Dutch  from 
Batavia,  the  Japanese  not  permitting  them  to  build 
with  lime." 


After  the  Dutch  and  the  Portuguese,  Russians 
came  knocking  at  this  inexorably  closed  door. 

In  1792,  the  great  Czarina  Catherine  tries  to  open 
negotiations,  but  without  the  least  success.  They 
are  renewed  in  1807  by  Alexander  I.,  who  attempts 
a  landing  at  Yeso. 

Violence  succeeded  no  better  than  diplomacy. 

There  was  no  more  thought  of  the  Japanese  until 
1853,  when  the  American  Commodore  Perry  made 
a  first  appearance  in  the  waters  of  Uruga. 

In  1854,  he  returns  and  obtains  a  treaty  open- 
ing to  Americans  the  ports  of  Shimoda  and  Ho- 
kodate. 


294  Manners  and  Customs. 

Four  years  later,  a  new  treaty  was  concluded  be- 
tween the  Shognn  and  the  Americans,  opening  to 
them,  at  the  same  time  as  to  England  and  to  France, 
the  port  of  Kanagawa,  quite  near  to  Yokohama, 
then  only  an  insignificant  village. 

We  now  come  to  the  accession  to  the  throne  of 
the  present  Emperor,  Mutsu  Hito,  who,  ten  years 
later,  was  to  ratify  the  different  treaties  concluded 
with  foreign  Powers. 

This  short  period  is  not  exempt  from  troubles. 
Many  bloody  battles  were  fought  between  the  parti- 
sans of  the  ancient  government,  foe  to  the  foreigners 
and  the  Imperial  armies. 

At  the  instigation  of  the  revolted  Da'imios, 
among  whom  the  Daimio  of  Satzuma  was  dis- 
tinguished, several  legations  were  attacked,  minis- 
ters assassinated,  etc.  These  hostilities  gave  rise 
to  reprisals. 

Kagosimawas  bombarded  by  Admiral  Kuper,  and 
thereafter  Simonoseki  was  bombarded  twice  by 
Admiral  Jaures,  the  first  time  alone,  and  then  in 
concert  with  the  allied  fleets. 

However,  as  early  as  1856,  a  school  had  been 
founded  at  Tokio,  then  Yeddo,  for  the  study  of 
foreign  languages,  and  in  1861  the  first  students 
were  sent  to  Europe. 

These  favourable  dispositions  made  themselves 
felt  particularly  in  regard  to  France,  by  the  demand 


A  Page  of  History. 


295 


addressed  to  that  nation  for  a  military  mission 
that  should  not  quit  Japan  until  after  having  com- 
pletely organised  her  army ;  and  for  men  versed  in 
law  charged  with  the  task  of  adapting  the  Code 
Napoleon  to  the  habits  of  Japan. 


MISCELLANEOUS   NOTES. 


MISCELLANEOUS   NOTES. 

HAVING  opened  its  doors  to  the  manners,  cus- 
toms, and  industries  of  Europe,  Japan  could 
not  do  less  than  borrow  also  from  the  Western 
States  their  political  constitution. 

The  Japanese  Empire  on  the  nth  February,  1889, 
adopted  a  constitution.  The  supreme  power  be- 
longs to  the  chief,  Tenno,  of  the  dynasty  which  has 
reigned  for  the  last  two  thousand  five  hundred 
years,  and  which,  after  the  restoration  of  1868, 
quitted  Kioto  to  establish  itself  at  Tokio. 

The  Emperor  Mutsu  Hito  had  reached  his 
thirty-ninth  year;  his  eldest  son,  Prince  Yoshi 
Hito  Harunomiga,  is  heir-apparent. 

A  House  of  Peers  and  a  Chamber  of  Representa- 
tives have  been  established  by  the  constitution 
of  1889. 

Constituents  of  the  House  of  Peers  are :  the  male 
members  of  the  Imperial  family  having  attained 
their  majority  ;  all  princes  and  marquises — the  titles 
of  nobility  have,  like  other  things,  been  European- 

299 


300  Miscellaneous  Notes. 


ised  (reader,  pardon  the  neologism  !) — above  twenty- 
five  years  of  age  ;  counts,  viscounts,  and  barons  of 
the  Empire  of  at  least  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
elected  by  their  peers  for  a  term  of  seven  years,  at 
the  rate  of  one  representative  for  five  electors ; 
members  nominated  for  life  by  the  Emperor,  of  at 
least  thirty  years  of  age — their  number  not  to 
exceed  that  of  the  nobility  ;  lastly,  fifteen  members, 
at  least  thirty  years  old,  elected  by  the  tax-payers 
of  the  highest  amount  of  direct  national  taxes  on 
land,  or  on  industry  or  trade,  of  all  the  administra- 
tive districts,  and  confirmed  by  the  Emperor,  in 
their  powers  for  seven  years. 

The  three  hundred  members  of  the  Chamber  of 
Representatives  are  elected  by  the  votes  of  copy- 
holders. Electors  are  restricted  to  males  of  at  least 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  paying  direct  or  land 
taxes  to  an  amount  not  less  than  fifteen  yen  (the 
yen  being  about  four  shillings)  a  year.  No  one  is 
eligible  who  is  not  thirty  at  least,  and  who  has  not 
paid  in  his  district  the  poll-tax  for  at  least  one  year. 

The  executive  power  is  exercised,  by  delegation 
of  the  Emperor  and  under  his  high  direction,  by  the 
ministers  of  the  interior,  of  justice,  of  finance,  of 
war,  of  communications,  of  foreign  affairs,  of  public 
instruction,  and  of  agriculture  and  commerce.  The 
president  of  the  present  Cabinet,  General  Count 
Yamagata-Aritomo,  is  minister  without  portfolio. 


Miscellaneous  Notes.  301 

Vice-ministers,  corresponding  to  our  under-secre- 
taries  of  state,  assist  the  ministers  in  the  transaction 
of  affairs. 

Besides  the  Cabinet  of  ministers,  a  private  Cabinet 
may  be  summoned  and  consulted  by  the  Emperor. 
It  is  composed  of  a  president,  of  a  vice-president,  of 
the  ministers,  and  of  seventeen  councillors. 

A  Court  of  Accounts,  an  office  of  legislation  cor- 
responding to  the  French  Conseil  d'Etat  (section  de 
legislation),  a  Board  of  Railways,  a  Court  of  Cassa- 
tion, and  a  Presidency  of  Police  complete  the  central 
organism  of  the  governmental  system  of  Japan. 

The  working  of  this  system  applies  to  the  (Jan- 
uary i,  1890)  40,072,020  inhabitants — there  were 
only  34,338,479  in  1876, — distributed  over  147,655 
square  miles  of  Japanese  territory,  through  the 
medium  of  the  chizi,  governors  of  the  "fu"  or 
residence  districts  of  Tokio,  Osaka,  and  Kioto,  and 
the  forty-three  "  ken"  or  prefectures.  By  way  of 
exception,  the  Kourile  Islands  and  the  island  of 
Yeso  hold  directly  of  the  Cabinet. 

The  figures  above  quoted  show  that  the  population 
of  Japan  is  denser  than  that  of  France — 271  inhabi- 
tants to  the  square  mile  in  Japan,  as  against  187 
inhabitants  to  the  square  mile  in  France, — but  not 
so  dense  as  in  England,  with  498  inhabitants  to  the 
square  mile. 

Military  service,  personally  obligatory  on  all  males 


302  Miscellaneous  Notes. 

from  seventeen  to  forty  years  of  age  has  been  added, 
since  the  2ist  January,  1889,  to  tne  fiscal  charges  of 
Japan.  The  budget  estimates  for  the  year  1891-92 
amount  to  83,462,5337^2. 

The  taxes  yielding  the  most  revenue  are  the  land 
tax,  the  income  tax,  and  the  tax  on  sak^  malt,  and 
tobacco. 

In  the  magnitude  of  the  foreign  commerce  of 
Japan,  England,  the  United  States,  and  France  head 
the  list.  Japan  imports  principally  cotton,  yarn,  and 
piece-goods,  sugar,  wool  and  woollen  goods,  metals, 
machinery,  ships,  petroleum,  drugs,  calico,  leather, 
clothing,  fermented  drinks,  cereals,  arms  and  ammu- 
nition. It  exports  principally  raw  silks  and  cocoons, 
rice,  tea,  coal,  copper,  fish,  porcelain,  lacquer,  bronze, 
camphor,  marine  plants,  paper,  articles  in  bamboo,  etc. 


The  new  Japanese  monetary  system  was  estab- 
lished in  1871,  on  the  basis  of  the  French  decimal 
system,  with  a  standard  of  900  thousandths,  but  for 
weights  and  values  approaching  the  money  system 
of  the  United  States  (Laws  of  1868  and  1871). 

The  monetary  unit  is  the  gold  yen — whose  nomi- 
nal value  is  four  shillings — closely  approximating  to 
the  weight  and  value  of  an  American  dollar.  The 
yen  is  equal  to  TOO  sens. 

Gold  yens  consist  of  20,  105,  2,  and  lyen  pieces  ;  of 


Miscellaneous  Notes.  303 


the  silver  coinage  there  are  I  yen,  50;  20;  10;  and 
5  sen  pieces  ;  of  the  nickel,  5  sen.  The  copper  coins 
consist  of  2  sens,  I,  J,  and  -fa  (or  riri)  sen  pieces,  the 
last  the  smallest  coin  in  use. 

The  paper  currency  in  Japan  in  1889  amounted 
to  45, 468,455^8. 

The  public  debt  in  1889  amounted  to  251,000,000 
of  yen,  of  which  6,430,376  was  foreign  debt.  Against 
this  debt,  however,  has  to  be  set  a  reserve  fund 
amounting  in  April,  1889,  to  15,707,505  yen. 

WEIGHTS. 

The  unit  is  the  momme  =  2.12  drachms, 
i  momme  =  10  pun  =  100  rins  =  1000  mon. 
i  king  —  1 60  momme  =  1.325  Ibs.  avoir, 
i  kwan  =  1000  momme  =  8.281  Ibs. 

MEASURES. 

i  shaku  =  .994  foot. 

i  sun  =  1.193  inches. 

i  ken  —  6  shaku  =  6  ft.  11.930  in. 

i  chd  —  60  ken  =  5.4229  chains,  or  -^  of  a  mile. 

i  ri  =  36  chd  =  2.44  miles. 

i  ri  sq.  =  5.9552  sq.  miles,     chd,  land  measure  = 

2.45  acre. 

* 
*  * 

The  greatest  geographical  curiosity  of  Japan  is, 
beyond  dispute  Fuzi-Yama  (Mount  Fuzi).  This 


304  Miscellaneous  Notes. 

mountain,  12,450  feet  high,  whose  truncated  cone 
looms  up  magnificently  a  short  distance  from 
Tokio,  is  the  object  of  profound  veneration.  The 
Japanese  make  pilgrimages  to  it,  and  it  has  been 
reproduced  in  all  modes  and  under  all  aspects  by 
artists. 

According  to  the  saying  of  the  legend,  this  enor- 
mous mountain  shot  up  from  the  earth  all  in  one 
piece,  in  one  night,  a  very  long  time  ago,  at  the 
same  moment  that  Lake  Biwa  was  hollowed  out  a 
hundred  leagues'  distant. 

Tokaido,  or  the  Eastern  route,  is  the  road  connect- 
ing the  new  capital  with  the  old — i.  e.  Tokio  with 
Kioto.  Very  picturesque,  very  broken,  overshad- 
owed with  gigantic  pines,  with  sea  views,  now  lost 
in  mountains,  now  traversing  the  smiling  villages,  it 
offers  the  traveller  a  spectacle  of  the  greatest  variety 
and  of  the  greatest  interest, 

NakasendO)  or  the  Western  route,  leads  from  Tokio 
to  Kusatsu.  Though  less  famous,  it  is  very  similar 
in  character. 

Nikko  and  Nara  are  renowned  for  their  magnifi- 
cent temples  ;  they  have  been  frequently  described. 

The  celebrated  traveller,  Marco  Polo,  gives  to 
Japan  the  name  of  Zipangou,  the  Chinese  Jepen  Kouo 
which  means  Empire  of  Japan.  The  same  designa- 
tion is  met  with  again  on  the  globe  of  Martin  Be- 
haim,  of  Nuremberg,  in  1492. 


Miscellaneous  Notes.  305 


Japan  in  English,  Japon  in  French,  is  in  Japan- 
ese Nippon  (literally,  Source  of  Light).  Dai  Nippon 
means  the  Great  Japan. 

Its  white  flag,  garnished  with  a  red  central  disk, 
corresponds  with  the  appellation,  Empire  of  the 

Rising  Sun. 

* 

History  has  kept  the  names  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  sovereigns,  amongst  whom  we  count  ten 
Empresses;  the  most  celebrated  is  Jingo-Kogo. 
First  in  date,  she  reigned  sixty-eight  years,  from 
201  to  269.  Of  a  bellicose  temper,  she  conquered 
Corea ;  she  is  venerated  under  the  name  of  Kaschi- 
Dai-Miojin.  The  others  are  : 

Suiki  (593  to  628). 

Kogioku  (642  to  644). 

Saimei  (655  to  66 1). 

Jito  (690  to  696). 

Gemmio  (708  to  714). 

Gensho  (715  to  723). 

Koken  (652  to  664).  This  Empress  reigned  a 
second  time  under  the  name  of  Shotoku 
(664  to  669). 

Miojo  (1630  to  1643). 

Go-Sakuramachi  (1763  to  1770). 
The  Shoguns,  wrongly  called  by  Europeans  Tai- 
kuns,   are   the  military   chiefs  who,  under  cover  of 
the  Emperors,  governed  Japan  from  the  thirteenth 


306  Miscellaneous  Notes. 


century  until  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth.     They 
number  forty-five. 

The  three  most  celebrated  SMguns  are  :  Yoritomo 
(i  146  to  1 190),  founder  of  the  feudal  military  govern- 
ment ;  Hideyhosi,  better  known  under  the  name  of 
Taiko  (1536  to  1598),  son  of  a  peasant  who  attained 
to  supreme  power;  lyeyasu  (1542  to  1616),  the  first 
of  the  Tokugawa  who  continued  down  to  our  day. 


At  the  time  when  the  Emperor  Charlemagne  was 
learning  to  read,  the  Buddhist  Kobo-Daishi  invented 
the  Hirakana  alphabet. 

The  Japanese  have  so  blended  legend  and  history, 
that  it  is  impossible  to  get  at  the  truth  concerning 
many  personages,  whose  alleged  acts  and  deeds  are 
most  frequently  in  contradiction  with  the  laws  of 
nature.  There  may  be  cited  : 

Okame,  the   j oiliest  woman   ever  seen  in   Japan, 


whose  likeness  figures  everywhere   in  this  land  of 
good  humour. 


Miscellaneous  Notes.  307 


Benke,  a  terrible  colossal  warrior,  vanquished 
by  the  young  Yoshitsune,  eldest  brother  of  Yori- 
tomo. 

Tekia'i  (Li-Tie-Koue  in  Chinese)  had  the  power  of 
sending  his  soul  out  of  his  body. 

Raiko,  great  exterminator  of  demons. 

Komati,  poetess  of  the  ninth  century,  celebrated 
as  much  for  her  talent  and  her  brilliant  life  as  for 
her  unhappy  end.  One  of  her  most  fervent  adorers 
has  been  many  times  represented  playing  the  flute 
under  her  balcony. 

Kugutsume  Kaneko,  the  woman  Hercules,  so  strong 
that  she  could  hold  under  her  arm  that  of  a  man 
who  lifted  his  hand  upon  her,  without  spilling  a 
single  drop  of  milk  from  the  full  pail  that  she 
carried  on  her  head,  and  this  despite  all  the  efforts 
the  man  made  to  escape  from  her  grasp.  Another 
time  she  stopped  a  fiery  horse  by  simply  putting  her 
foot  on  the  rein  that  trailed  on  the  ground. 

Urashima  Taro,  who  lived  a  thousand  years  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea  in  company  with  the  Queen  of 
the  Waters.  Returning  to  his  nets  after  this  little 
escapade — for  Urashima  was  a  fisherman — despite 
the  prohibition  that  had  been  given  him,  he  opened 
a  box  that  had  been  entrusted  to  him  by  his  aquatic 
friend,  and  instantly  died. 

Yamato-Dake,  the  greatest  fighter  of  antiquity. 

Yasutnasu,   a  famous  flute-player,  whose  glance, 


308  Miscellaneous  Notes. 

by  contemplation  of  the  moon,  of  which  he  was 
enamoured,  became  so  refulgent  as  to  smite  his 
enemies  with  paralysis  by  its  fascination. 

Shutendoje,  an  ogre  who  made  his  meals  off  the 
prettiest  girls  of  Kioto. 

Ysrimitsu  and  Watanabe  no  Tuna,  terrors  of  the 
ogres. 

Tametomo,  indomitable  archer,  putting  armies  to 
flight  and  sinking  ships  with  his  arrows. 

Momotaro,  who  issued,  not  from  a  cabbage,  but 
from  a  peach. 

Akaskito,  god  of  poesy. 

Soto-ori-hime,  goddess  of  poetry,  under  the  name 
of  Tamat-su-hima  Miojin. 

Asashina,  whose  extraordinary  vigour  brought 
him  well  off  from  certain  demons,  who  thereupon 
submitted  to  him. 


In  the  works  of  Japanese  artists,  you  frequently 
remark  the  association  of  the  same  animals  and  the 
same  plants.  These  conjunctions  are  not  pure 
fancies,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  ex- 
amples : 

THE  FEMALE  GOAT  AND  THE  BAMBOO.— Because 
the  goat  is  very  fond  of  the  paper  mulberry,  and 
even  of  manufactured  paper. 


Miscellaneous  Notes.  309 


THE  CUCKOO  AND  THE  MOON. — In  allusion  to  a 
legend  (twelfth  century)  concerning  Yorimasa,  a 
sort  of  Saint  George,  a  killer  of  dragons,  who  had 
no  less  wit  than  valour.  A  Kuge"  having  come  to 
bring  him  a  sabre  of  honour,  addressed  to  him  a 
madrigal  in  verse,  the  sense  of  which  is :  "  How 
does  the  cuckoo  rise  above  the  clouds?" — an  allu- 
sion to  the  fame  of  the  hero — to  which  Yorimasa 
replied  in  two  improvised  verses,  which  mean 
either  "  The  rising  moon  does  not  stop  at  com- 
mand," or  "  I  have  only  bent  my  bow  and  the 
arrow  has  sped." 

It  appears  that,  for  the  Japanese,  there  is  a  delight- 
ful play  of  words  in  this  answer. 

THE  Fox  AND  THE  CHRYSANTHEMUM.— Another 
legend.  An  Indian  prince  was  haunted  by  a  fox  in 
the  assumed  form  of  a  ravishing  young  girl ;  she  fell 
asleep  one  day  upon  a  bed  of  chrysanthemums,  and 
resumed  her  natural  shape  of  quadruped. 

SPARROW  AND  BAMBOO. — The  two  most  graceful 
figures  of  creation,  each  in  his  kingdom. 

GEESE  AND  THE  RUSHES. — Geese,  in  their  long 
runs,  carry  off  in  their  bills  rushes,  which  they  drop 
into  the  pond  before  committing  themselves  to  the 
water,  to  serve  them  by  way  of  buoy.  Allusion  is 


3io 


Miscellaneous  Notes. 


here  made   to  the  care  needed  in  the  choice  of  a 
residence. 

THE  Ox  AND  THE  PEACH. — A  Chinese  proverb 
says :  "  Give  the  horse  head  on  a  mountain  of 
flowers  and  the  ox  in  an  orchard  of  peaches." 


SHORT  VOCABULARY. 


SHORT  VOCABULARY. 

THE  ALPHABET. 


V 

7 

\> 

-? 

^ 

ir 

^ 

^ 

# 

r 

wa 

ra 

ya 

ina 

ha 

na 

ta 

sa 

ka 

a 

# 

»J 

yj 

*  * 

b 

m 

^ 

3x 

^ 

>j 

wi 

n 

yi 

mi 

hi 

ni 

chi 

sbi 

ki 

i 

X^ 

^ 

rt. 

A 

7 

3 

y 

^ 

? 

& 

wu 

ru 

yu 

mu 

hu 

nu 

tsu 

su 

ku 

u 

JL 

JX 

Jl 

> 

^ 

^ 

T 

^ 

^ 

-X 

we 

re 

ye 

me 

he 

ne 

te 

se 

ke 

e 

y 

o 

3 

^ 

^ 

/ 

h 

y 

n 

^ 

•wo 

ro 

yo 

mo 

ho 

no 

to 

so 

ko 

0 

NUMERALS. 


Hitotsu,  ichi i 

Futatsu,  ni 2 

Mitsu,  san 3 

Yotsu,  shi 4 

Itsutsu,  go 


Mutsu,  roku  ..........  6 

JVanatsu,  shichi  .......  7 

Yatsu,  hachi  ..........  8 

Kokonotsu,  ku  .........  9 


10 


The  u  is  pronounced  oo, 
313 


3H 


Short  Vocabulary. 


JA-ichi ii 

JA-ni 12 

Ni-jfi 20 

San-jA  ....    30 


Hiaku 100 

Ni-hiaku 200 

Sen 1000 

Man 10,000 


THE  FOUR  CARDINAL  POINTS. 


Kita,  North. 

i)  South. 


i    Jfigaski,  East. 
I   Ms/it,  West. 


THE  SEASONS. 


Ah',  Autumn. 
)  Winter. 


Haru,  Spring. 
Natsu,  Summer. 


THE  MONTHS. 

Shd-gatsu January. 

Kisaragi February. 

Yayoi March. 

Uzuki April. 

Satsuki May. 

Minazuki June. 

Fumizuki July. 

Hazuki August. 

Nagazuki September. 

Kaminashizuki , October. 

Shimotsuki November. 

Shiwasu December. 

THE  HOURS. 

Ne Rat  :  from  1 1  to  i. 

Ushi Ox  :  from  i  to  3. 

Tora Tiger  :  from  3  to  5. 

U Hare  :  from  5  to  7. 

Tatsu Dragon  :  from  7  to  9. 


Short  Vocabulary.  315 

Mi Serpent  :  from  9  to  1 1. 

Uma   Horse  :  from  1 1  to  i. 

Hitsuji Goat  :  from  i  to  3. 

Saru Monkey  :  from  3  to  5. 

Tori Cock  :  from  5  to  7. 

Inu Dog  :  from  7  to  9. 

/ Boar  :  from  9  to  1 1. 

Ten  on  Ame Sky. 

Tsuchi Earth. 

Hi Sun. 

Tski Moon. 

Noshi Stars. 

Koumo .  .   Clouds. 

Nichi Day. 

Yoi  tenki Fine  weather. 

Warui  tenki Bad  weather. 

Warui  amt Rain. 

Warui  kare Wind. 

Warui  arare Hail. 

Warui  ta'ifu Hurricane. 

Warui  nideri Drought. 

Warui  shikke Humidity. 

Midzu Water. 

K6ri Ice. 

Youki Snow. 

Meisho Remarkable  city. 

Yama Mountain. 

Kawa River. 

Hashi Bridge. 

Hama Port. 

Minato Town. 

Mashi Quarter. 

Mura Village. 


316  Short  Vocabulary. 


Michi Route. 

Ishi Stone. 

Isuchi Earth. 

Miya,  Shinto  temple. 

Tera,  Buddhist  temple. 

Siro,  Fortified  castle. 

yy/9  House. 

Mado,  Window. 

Tokonoma,  Recess  where  kakemonos  are  hung. 

Fusuma,  Movable  partitions. 

Hikite,  Handles  for  moving  the  Fusuma. 

Shoji,  Window  panel  in  paper. 

Ramma,  Perforated  frieze  on  grooves  fastened  to  the 
ceiling,  and  used  for  holding  the  sliding  panels. 

Biyo-bu,  Folding  screen. 

Nagamoii)  Chest  for  holding  bedding. 

Tansu,  Press  for  holding  clothing. 

Andon,  A  lamp  resting  on  the  ground,  with  movable 
paper  frame. 

Hibachi,  Brazier. 

Hibashi,  Small  rnetal  batons. 

Dana,  Tea  tray. 

Tobako-bon,  Box  or  tray  containing  necessaries  for 
smokers. 

Tatami,  Floor  mat. 

Fuson,  Wadded  cover. 

Kaya,  Mosquito  net. 

Chigai-dana,  A  double  tray. 

Makura,  Pillow. 

Ishi-dorO)  Stone  lantern. 

Tori-i,  Portico. 

Soroban,  Abacus. 

Zinc,  A  person. 


Short  Vocabulary.  3 1  7 

Otoko,  A  male,  a  man,  a  servant. 
Onna,  Woman. 
Hime\  Princess. 
Mousme,  Young  girl. 
Musko,  Boy. 

Botchan,  Baby,  little  child. 
Cha-fou,  Coolie  who  trains  jinkikahos. 
Okusama,  Madame  (term  of  respect). 
Okamisan,  Wife  or  mother,  such  a  one. 
Ototsan,  Papa. 

Obason,  Grandmamma  (from  35  years). 
Betto,  Groom. 
Oueki-ya,   Gardener. 

Kosukai,      Servant    that    runs    errands     (pronounced 
koskai). 

Daiku,  Carpenter. 
Oyazi,  Old  woman. 
Kimono,  Clothing. 
Tabi,  Linen  sock. 
Gueta,  Wooden  sandal. 

f    Straw  sandal. 
Waraja,    ) 

Tenugui,  Piece  of  cloth  to  wipe  the  hands  on,  etc. 

Fundoshiy  Piece  of  cloth  used  instead  of  drawers. 

Katana,  Sabre. 

Ken,  Sword. 

Kozuka,  Small  blade  joined  to  the  scabbard  of  a  sabre. 

Tachi,  Large  sabre. 

Wakizashi,  Small  sabre-dagger. 

Aikuchi,  Poniard. 

Tsuba,  Sabre-guard. 

Tsurugi,  Long,  two-edged  spear. 

Naginata,    Halberd. 

Yarit  Lance. 


318  SJiort  Vocabulary. 

Gusoku,  Armour. 
Kobuto,   Casque. 
Sai-hai,  Staff  of  command 
Tate,  Shield. 
Ebira,  Quiver. 
Yumi,  Bow. 
Ya,  Arrow. 

Abumi,  Iron  spurs  inlaid  with  other  metal,  shape  like 
heavy  Turkish  slippers,  broad  at  the  toe  and  turned  up. 
Uma,  Horse. 
Neko,  Cat. 
Nezumi,  Mouse. 
Suzume,  Sparrow. 
Kitsune,  Fox  (pronounced  kitsnt}. 
Hato,  Dove. 
Inut  Dog. 

•   Uwo,  Fish  (living). 
Sakana,  Fish  (cooked). 
Skishi,  Lion. 
Niwatori)  Cock. 
KamOy  Wild  goose. 
S/mi,  Swan. 
Matsu,   Pine. 
Tsubakiy  Camellia. 
Sakura-gi,  Cherry. 
Ume'no  kl.  Plum-tree. 
Hana,  Flower. 
Edat  Branch. 
Ha,  Leaf. 

y  To  be  scattered  by  the  wind  (said  of  flowers). 
tj  Cryptomeria. 
Talchibana,  Orange  tree. 
Yen,  Dollar. 
Sen,  About  a  halfpenny. 


Short  Vocabulary.  319 

Kane1,  Gold. 

Zeni,  Copper  coin. 

Rinn,  The  tenth  of  a  halfpenny. 

Kanemotchi,  Wealthy  man. 

Bimmbo-ninn,  Poor  man. 

Shaku,  Japanese  foot — about  4|  to  5  inches. 

Sun,  Tenth  of  the  shaku. 

Cha-ia,  Tea-house. 

Cha-dokoro,  Place  where  one  takes  tea. 

Cha-ire,  Tea-box. 

Cha-no-yu,  A  tea-party.     Ceremony  of  rice. 

Sake',  Eau-de-vie  of  rice. 

Gozen,  Repast. 

Gohan,  Cooked  rice. 

Taberu,    Eat. 

Mdtsuri,  Religious  fete. 

Kogo,  Carrying-chair. 

Morimon,  Gala  lacquer  chair,  shaped  like  a  house. 

Tsuzumi,  Little  drum  with  two  ends,  shape  of  an 
hour-glass. 

Biwa,  Four-stringed  lute-shaped  like  a  Biwa  tree  leaf 
(as  is  likewise  the  famous  lake). 

Sakuhatchi,  Flute  with  five  holes. 

Fue,    Bamboo  or  ivory  flute  with  seven  or  eight  holes. 

Koto,  Flat  harp  with  thirteen  strings. 

Kokiu,  Violin. 

Samisen,  Guitar  with  three  strings,  which  is  played  with 
a  wooden  instrument.  It  is,  says  an  author,  the  most 
widespread  and  the  most  noted  of  the  instruments  of 
Japanese  music. 

Hitchikiri)  Small  hautbois  with  double  reed. 

The  ornamental  plants  which  hold  such  a  great 
place  in  Japanese  decorations  deserve  quite  special 


320  Short  Vocabulary. 


mention.  We  owe  to  M.  Moxime  Cornu,  the 
learned  professor  of  the  Museum  at  Paris,  the  follow- 
ing nomenclature : 

Awo  momi  (Corylopsis  spicata). 

Toubaki   (Camellia). 

Tobira    (Pitosporum  Tobira). 

Tsurumasaki  (Evonymus  japonicus). 

Erables. 

Aoki  (Aucuba). 

Kuchinashi  (Gardenia). 

Fakuromoki  (Ligustrum  japonicum). 

Teikakatsura  (Trachelospermum  jasminoides). 

Jinchiyode  (Daphne  odora). 

Yuri  (Lis). 

Shuro  (Trachycarpus  excelsus). 

Shurochiku  (Rhapis  flabelleformis). 

Howochiku  (Bambusa  Ausca). 

Medake  (Arundinaria  japonica). 

Take   (Bambous). 

Kiki  yo   (Hatycodon  grandiflorum). 

Hakone  out  sgui  (Weigelia) 

Hi  mawari  (Helianthus  annuus). 

Kiku  (Chrysanthemums). 

Asa  gao  (Volubilis). 

Dodan  (Andromeda  japonica). 

Tsutsusi  (Azalea  indica). 

Hosen  Kwa  (Balsamine). 

Shiya  ga  (Iris  japonica). 

Yama  hagi  (Lespedeza  bicolor). 

Kwandzoo  (Hemerocallis  flava). 

Gibo  (Funkia  ovata). 

Yabura  (Ophiopogon  spicatus). 

Omoto  (Rhodia  japonica). 


Short  Vocabulary.  321 


Ho  noki  (Magnolia  hypoleuca). 

Hakou  renge  (Magnolia  conspicua). 

Tsoutsou  so  ka  (Hisbiscus  rosa  sinensis). 

Hasu  (Nelumbium  speciosum). 

Keshi  (Papaver  somniferum). 

Keman  so  (Dielytra  spectabilis). 

Satzouma  Outsougui  (Philadelphus  coronarius). 

Kawa  utsuki  (Deutzia  scabra). 

Ouns  hama  (Deutzia  gracilis). 

Kurin  so   (Drunule  japonica). 

Kasa  gourouma  (Clematis  florida). 

Kibune giku  (Anemone  japonica). 

Botan   (Doeonia  Mautan). 

Skaku  gahu  (Doeonia  albiflora). 

Gamawouki  (Kewia  japonica). 

Hazebana  (Spersia  primifolia). 

No  ibara  (Rosa  multiflora). 

Teou  chin  bar  a    (Rosa  indica). 

Temari  kana  (Hortensia). 

SOME  PHRASES. 

Arimas-ka,  Is  there  any  ? 
Arimas-sen,  There  is  none. 
Arimas,  There  is  some. 
Itai,   Ah  !  that  hurts. 
Dai-dyo-bu,  All  right. 
Dc'kinai,  That  won't  do  ;   I  don't  get  on 
Sukoshi,  A  little. 
Amari,  Too  much. 
Ike'nai,  It  is  not  proper  ;  forbidden. 
Ne  san,  Little  one  !  (to  call  any  one  to  one's  self). 
Djodann  bakari.  You  are  making  game  of  me  ;  you  are 
jesting. 

21 


,22  Short  Vocabulary. 


Ikura  ?  How  much  ? 

Taka'i,  High,  dear. 

Yasoui,  Cheap,  easy. 

Mudzukashi,  Difficult. 

[/resit,  Ah  !  what  pleasure. 

Shin-setsu,  Amiable. 

Nama-iki,  Plate-layer. 

Sharebito,  Distinguished  people. 

Baka,  Imbecile. 

Berabo,  Rabble,  riff-raff. 

So  suruto,  Then,  all  on  a  sudden. 

Ohayd,  Good-morning  (morning  only). 

Konnitchi  va.  Good-day. 

Sayonara,  Adieu. 

Oyasoumi  nasai',  Good-night  (lit.,  deign  to  repose). 

Danna  !  danna  !    Eh  !  Sir  ! 

Dannasan,  Sir. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY   OF  JAPAN. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  JAPAN. 

THE  first  part  of  this  catalogue  is  devoted  to 
travellers  of  former  times,  of  great  celebrity, 
not  merely  on  account  of  the  curiosity  attaching  to 
them,  but  because  their  works  are  still  authoritative 
on  a  country  which  so  long  remained  closed  to  all 
exploration. 

In  alphabetic  order  are  arranged  modern  French, 
English,  German,  Dutch,  and  Japanese  works,  with 
the  title,  place,  and  date  of  publication ;  a  list  of 
the  learned  Japanese  societies,  and  some  official 
documents. 

Specialists  will  no  doubt  detect  more  than  one 
hiatus  in  this  list,  but  it  is  not  drawn  up  for  them, 
and,  such  as  it  is,  it  may  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  the 
amateur,  in  whom  the  reading  of  this  book  may 
have  begotten  some  taste  for  things  Japanese,  if 
any  such  reader  there  be. 

325 


326  Bibliography  of  Japan. 


Moreover,  not  to  be  wanting  to  his  title,  the 
author  has  marked  with  an  asterisk  the  works  which 
may  be  consulted  in  the  library  of  the  Musee  Gui- 
met,  by  applying  to  the  librarian,  the  amiable  and 
learned  M.  de  Milloue. 

EARLY  AUTHORS.    . 

MARCO  POLO,  1298. — This  celebrated  traveller  speaks 
in  this  wise  of  the  inhabitants  of  Japan  :  "  They  are  white, 
civilized,  politically  independent,  happy,  and  idolaters. 
The  country  is  so  rich  in  gold,  that  the  roof  and  the  floors 
of  the  Emperor's  palace  have  been  overlaid  with  it  to  a 
thickness  of  two  inches." 

COENRAET  KRANIER,  Dutchman. — Gives  a  recital  of 
the  pomp  displayed  at  a  great  fete  held  at  the  Japanese 
Court  on  the  2oth  October,  1626. 

FRANgois  CARON,  Frenchman,  who  died  in  the  service 
of  the  Compagnie  des  Indes  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

Beschrijvinge  van  het  Machtigh  Koninckrijcke  Japan, 
Amsterdam,  1649.  4to.  (See  Bibliographical  Memoir  of 
the  journals  of  the  Dutch  Navigators,  edited  by  P.  A. 
Tiele.  Amsterdam,  Frederick  Muller,  1867.) 

FERNAND  MENDEZ  PINTO,  whose  adventurous  voyages 
have  been  faithfully  translated  from  Portuguese  into 
French  by  Bernard  Figuier.  Paris,  1628. 

HENDRICK  HAGENAER,  head  clerk  of  the  Dutch  East 
India  Company,  who  set  out  in  December,  1684,  on  the 
corvette  Le  Grol,  and  returned  to  Europe  after  meeting 
Francois  Caron  in  Japan,  1636. 

L.  TAVERNIER,  Frenchman,  1679. — Collection  of  sev- 
eral strange  narratives  and  treatises.  (Treatise  on  the 
cause  of  the  persecution  of  the  Christians  in  Japan.*) 


Bibliography  of  Japan.  327 


CHARLEVOIX  (P.  DE),  Frenchman,  born  1682,  finished, 
at  Rouen,  in  1736,  the  publication  of  his  famous  work  in 
nine  volumes  :  Histoire  et  Description  du  Japon* 

ENGELBERT  KAEMPFER,  German  in  the  service  of 
Holland.  His  Natural,  Civil,  and  Ecclesiastical  History 
of  Japan,  written  in  Butok  (1727),  has  been  translated 
into  English  by  Hans  Sloane,  and  into  French  at  The 
Hague  (1729)  by  G.  Scheuchzer.* 

BENIOWSKI,  a  Pole  in  the  service  of  France,  took  part 
in  the  work  of  our  establishment  at  Madagascar,  end  of 
eighteenth  century. 

C.  P.  THUNBERG,  sent  to  Japan  in  1772,  by  the  Dutch 
Company,  died  in  1798,  author  of  a  Voyage  to  Japan  by 
Way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  etc.  Translated  into 
French  by  Langles  in  1796.  Ueber  die  Japanische  Nation 
Vorgelesen,  1874* 

PH.  VON  SIEBOLD,  born  at  Wurzburg  (1796-1866),  pub- 
lished at  Leyden,  Archiv  zur  Beschreibung  von  Japan  und 
dessen  Neben-  und  Schutz-ldndern,  the  most  important  work 
that  had  been  written  upon  Japan,  as  also  a  number  of 
works  on  the  botany  and  language  of  Japan.*  De  His- 
toric Naturalis  in  Japonia  Statu . .  .  Dissertatio.  Bataviae, 
1824.  8vo.  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Japanese  in  the 
Nineteenth  Century,  from  Recent  Dutch  Visitors  of  Japan 
and  the  German  of  Dr.  Ph.  Fr.  von  Siebold.  London, 
1841.  8vo. 

Geographical  and  Ethnographical  Elucidations  to  the  Dis- 
coveries of  Maerten  Gerritsen  Vries.  Translated  from 
the  Dutch  by  F.  M.  Cowan.  Amsterdam,  London,  1859. 

ISAAC  TITSINGH,  Dutch  Ambassador  in  China,  at  the 
end  of  the  last  century  :  Narrative  written  by  Van  Braam 
Houckgeest.  Ceremonies  usitces  au  Japonpour  les  Mari- 
ages  et  Funerailles.  Paris,  1819.  Memoir es  et  Anecdotes 
sur  la  Dynastie  Regnante  des  Djogouns,  translated  by  Abel 


328  Bibliography  of  Japan. 


Remusat.  Paris,  1820.  Annales  des  Empereurs  du  Japon. 
Paris,  1834. 

BRETON. — Le  Japon,  ou  M&urs,  Usages  et  Coutumes  des 
Habitants  de  cet  Empire,  d  'apres  les  Relations  Rc'centes  de 
Kriisenstern,  Langsdorf,  Titsingh,  etc.  Paris,  1818. 

Lettre  du  Roi  de  Portugal  Don  Manuel  a  Ferdinand,  Roi 
de  Castille.  1505. 

PIGAFETTA.  L*  Histoire  du  Voyage  de  Circumnavigation 
de  Magellan.  1521. 

Jesus,  Cartas  que  os  Padres  e  Irmaos  da  Companhia  de 
Jesus  Escreverdo  dos  Reynos  de  Japdo  et  China  aos  da 
Mesma  Companhia  da  India,  et  Europa,  desde  Anno  1549 
ate' o  de  1580.  Evora,  1598. 

Relacion  del  Sucesso  que  tuvo  nuestra  Santa  Fe  en  los 
Reynos  del  Jap  on,  desde  el  Ano  1612  el  de  1615.  Imperando 
Cubosama,  por  el  P.  LUYS  PINEYRO.  Ano  1617.  Madrid, 
A.  M.  de  Balboa.  Folio. 

Fasciculus  e  Japponicus  Floribus,  svo  adhuc  Madentibur 
Sanguine,  Composittis  a  P.  ANTONIO  FRANCISCO  CARDIM. 
Rome,  1646.  Folio. 

WITSEN  (NICOLAS). — Noord  en  Oost  Tartarye.  Am- 
sterdam, 1692.  Folio. 

SALMON  (T.). — Hedendaagsche  Historie.  .  .uit  het  En- 
gelsch  vertaald,  enz.  IX.  de  deel  Iste  en  Ilde  Stuk.  Behel- 
zende  eene  Beschryving  van  Japan  ;  benevens  de  bezittingen 
der  Portugeezen  en  Spanjaarden  in  de  Indien.'  Ley  den, 
1778.  4to. 

FRENCH  WORKS. 


ALBANO  (L.  D')  (Pseud.  Leon  de  Rosny). — Le  Couvent 
du  Dragon  Vert* 

ARDOUIN  (Dr.  LEON). — Aper$u  sur  I'Histoire  de  la 
Mcdecine  au  Japon.  Paris,  1884. 


Bibliography  of  Japan.  329 


APPERT  (G.)  in  conjunction  with  M.  H.  KINOSHITA. — 
Ancien  Japan.  Paris,  1889. 

AUDSLEY  (A.)  et  BOWES  (J.  L.). — La  Ceramique  Japo- 
naise.  Paris,  1877-80.* 

BOUSQUET  (GEORGES). — I.  Voyage  dans  rinterieur  du 
Japon.  1874. — II.  Une  Excursion  a  Nikko  (Revue  des 
Deux-Mondes).  1874. — III.  Yezo  et  les  Ainos  (Revue  des 
Deux-Mondes).  1874. — IV.  Les  Mczurs,  le  Droit  Public  et 
Prive  du  Japon  (Revue  des  Deux-Mondes).  1875. — V. 
La  Religion  au  Japon  (Revue  des  Deux-Mondes) .  1876.  — 
VI.  Le  Japon  de  nos  Jours,  etc.  2  vols.,  8vo.  Paris,  1877.* 

BURNOUF.— La  Mythologie  des  Japonais  d'apres  le  Koku 
Si-riaku.  Paris,  1875.* 

CHESNEAU  (E.). — LArt  Japonais.  Paris,  1869.  Le 
Japon  a  Paris.  Paris,  1879. 

COTTEAU. — De  Paris  au  Japon.     Paris,  1883.* 

DELMAS  (R.  DE). — Les  Japonais,  leur  Pays  et  leurs 
Moeurs.  Paris,  1885. 

DOUSDEBES  (ALBERT). —  Une  Vengeance  Japonaise. 
Paris,  1886. 

DUBARD. — Le  Japon  Pittoresque.  Paris,  1879.  La  Vie 
en  Chine  et  au  Japon.  Paris,  1882.* 

DUCHATEAU  (Jr.). — Notices  sur  les  Amos  Insulaires  de 
Yezo,  etc.  Paris,  1874.  Kotcho-sen-zi.  Geneve,  1874. 

FRAISSINET  (EDMOND). — Le  Japon.     Paris.*  'S5~b 

FURET  (LE  ¥.}.—Lettres  a  M.  L.  de  Rosny  sur  r Archipel 
Japonais.  Paris,  1861.  i8mo. 

FURTH  (C.  DE). —  Un  Parisien  en  Asie,  Voyage  au 
Japon,  etc.  1860.* 

GAUSSERON. — Les  Fideles  Ronins.     Paris,  1882. 

GEERTS  (A.  J.  C.). — Les  Produits  de  la  Nature  Japonaise 
et  Chinoise.  8vo.  Yokohama,  1878. 

GONSE. — L  Art  a  r  Exposition.  Paris,  1879.  L'Art 
Japonais.  Paris,  1885.* 


33°  Bibliography  of  Japan. 


GRANDEAU.  —  Extrait  des  Annales  de  la  Science  Agrono- 
mique  Fran$aise  et  Etrangere,  traduit  d'allemand.  L'  Agri- 
culture du  Japon,  son  Etat  Actuel  el  son  Avenir,  par 
Shin-Kigi-Nagoi. 

GUIMET  (EMILE).  —  Promenades  Japbnaises,  illustrated 
by  Felix  Regamey.  Paris,  1878.  Tokio-Nikko.  Paris,  1880. 
Le  Theatre  au  Japon.  Paris,  1886.  La  Mandara  de 
Kooboo-dai-ssi* 

GUIZOT  (G.).  —  Le  Jap  on  Raconte  par  Lawrence  Oli- 
phant.  Paris,  1875.* 

HOFFMANN.  —  Notice  sur  les  Principales  Fabriques  de 
Porcelaine  du  Japon  (journal  Asiatique).  1885.* 

HUMBERT.  —  Le  Japon  Illustre.     Paris,  1870.* 

JANCIGNY  (Dueois  DE).  —  Japon  (  Univers  Pittoresque), 
t.  xlvi. 

KLAPROTH  (J.).  —  Nippon  o  dai-itsi-ran.  Annales  des 
San-Kokf-ran-dzu-sets  j  Aper$u  General  des  Trois 
Royaumes.  Paris,  1832.  Empereurs  du  Japon.  Paris, 


KRAFFT  (HUGUES).  —  Souvenir  de  notre  Tour  du  Monde, 
Paris,  1885.  Au  Japon  (  Btilletin  Soc.  Ge'og.  Commerciale, 
t.  vi.). 

LEFEVRE  PONTALIS  (GERMIAN).  —  Un  Projet  de  Con- 
quete  du  Japon  par  V  Angleterre  et  la  Russie  en  1776 
(Annales  de  r  Ecole  des  Sciences  Politiques). 

LAPEYRERE  (P.  DE).  —  Le  Japon  Militaire.  P,aris,  1883. 

LEQUEUX  (A.).  —  Le  Theatre  Japonaise.  Paris,  1889. 
iSmo. 

LINDAU  (ROD.).  —  Voyage  autotir  du  Japon.  Paris,  1864.* 

LOTI  (PIERRE).  —  Madame  Chrysantheme.  Paris,  1888. 
L  'Imperatrice  Printemps  (  Revue  des  Deux-Mondes),  1888. 
—  La  Sainte  Montague  de  Nikko  (  Nouvelle  Revue),  1888.* 

MAGET  (DE  S.).  —  La  Protestation  au  Japon.  Paris, 
1878.  —  Dai-  Nippon  (Nouvelle  Revue). 


Bibliography  of  Japan.  3  3 1 


MENE  (E.). — Le  Chrysantheme  dans  I'Art  Japonais. 
Paris,  1886.  Le  Japon  Artistique.  Le  Japan  Artistique 
el  Litter  air  e* 

METCHNIKOFF  (LEON).  —  Kotcho-sen-zi.  Geneve. 
Kourimoto,  Tei  zi-no.  Sur  la  Condition  de  la  Fetnme  au 
Japon.  Paris,  1869.  Extrait  du  Koziki  ou  Cosmogonie 
Japonaise.  Geneve.  Notice  sur  la  Religion  Nationals 
des  Japonais^  le  Culte  des  Kamis  ou  Shintoisme.  Compte 
Rendu  du  Cong  res  des  Orientalistes,  1878.  L' Empire 
Japonais.  Geneve,  1880.* 

MILLOUE  (DE). — Recherches  sur  les  Fune'railles  et  en 
Particulier  sur  les  Sacrifices  Humains  au  Japon  et  en  Chine 
(Bulletin  de  la  Societe'  d" Anthropologie  de  Lyon,  1881).* 
Anciens  Textes  Sanserifs  du  Japon.  Leide,  1884. 

PAGES(L.). — Histoiredela  Religion  Chretienne  au  Japon. 
Paris,  1869-70.  Deux  vol.,  8vo.  Dictionnaire  J  aponais- 
Fran^ais^  1898  to  1951.  Paris,  1868.  La  Persecution 
des  Chretiens  au  Japon  et  V  Ambassade  Japonaise  en  Europe. 
Paris,  1873.  Histoiredes  Vingt- six  Martyrs  Japonais ,  dont 
la  Canonisation  doit  avoir  Lieu  a  Rome  en  1862.  Paris, 
3862.  Bibliographic  Japonaise,  ou  Catalogue  des  Ouv rages 
Relatifs  au  Japon  qui  out  e'te  Publie's  depuis  le  XVe  Siecle 
jusqif  ct,  nos  jours.  Paris,  1859.  4to. 

PLAUCHUT  (E.). — Formose  et  I' Expedition  Japonaise 
(Revue  des  Deux- Mondes,  1874).* 

REGAMEY  (FELIX). — Okoma.     Paris,  1883.* 

REMUSAT  (ABEL). — Note  sur  la  Description  des  lies  Mou- 
nin-sima  (Journal  Asiatique,  t.  vii.).  Melanges  Asia- 
tiqucs.  Paris,  1825-43.* 

ROSNY  (DE). — Memoire  sur  la  Chronologic  Japonaise. 
Paris,  1857.  Authologie  Japonaise.  Paris,  1877.  Dozi- 
Kuayy  I ' Enseignement  de  la  Jeunesse.  1878.  La  Grande 
Dc'esse  Solaire,  Ama-terrassoit-oho-Kami.  Revue  deT His- 
toiredes Religions.  1884.  La  Civilisation  Japonaise.  Paris, 


33  2  Bibliography  of  Japan. 


1883.     8vo.     Question  de  Arche'ologie  Japonaise.     Paris, 

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334  Bibliography  of  Jap  a  n. 


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MOSSMAN  (S.). — Japan.     London,  1880. 

MULLER  (F.  MAX). — On  Sanskrit  Texts  Discovered  in 
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Relics,  etc.  London,  1880. 

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WHITNEY  (W.  N.). — A  Concise  Dictionary  of  the  Prin- 
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A  Cojicise  Dictionary  of  the  Principal  Roads,  Chief  Towns 
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GERMAN,  DUTCH,  AND  OTHER  WORKS. 

BRAUMULLER  (W.  RITTER  V.). — Bibliotheca  Japonica. 
Verzeichniss  einer  Sammlung  Japanischer  Biicher,  in  1408. 
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BRAUNS  (D.). — Japanische  Mdrchen  und  Sagen.  Leip- 
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DOEFF  (HENDRICK). — Herinneringen  uit  Japan.  Haar- 
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GOEJE  (M.  J.  DE). — Arabische  Berichten  tiber  Japan. 
Amsterdam.  8vo. 

HEINE  (W.).—  Japan.     Dresden,  1880. 

HOSKI^ER  (O.  V.  VON). — Rejsei  Japan.  Kjobenhavn, 
1880. 

JAGOR  (F.). — EtwasuberdieSteinzestinJapan.  Berlin, 
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KREITNER  (G.). — Im  fernen  Osten.     Wien,  1880. 

KUDRIAFFSKY  (E.  VON). — Japan.     Urieu,  1874. 

LEVYSSOHN  (J.  H.). — B laden  over  Japan.  The  Hague, 
1852. 

LIEBSCHER  (G.). — Japans  landwirthschaftliche  und 
allgemeinwirthschaftliche  Verhdltnisse.  Jena,  1882.  8vo. 

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MEIJLAN  (G.  F.)  ( J.  H.  Tobias). — Japan.  Voorgesteldin 
Schetson  over  de  Zeden  engabruiken  van  dat  Ryk  byzonder  iiber 
dc  Ingezetenender  stad  Nagasaky.  Amsterdam,  1830.  8vo. 

NETTO  (C.)-  —  Papier -Schmetterlinge  aus  Japan. 
Leipzig,  1888. 

PEREIRA  (J.  M.). — Los  Paises  del  Extremo  Oriente. 
Madrid,  1883. 

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1880-86.  2  vols'.,  8vo.* 

RITTAU  (J.).  —  Topographische  Carte  von  Japan. 
Berlin,  1880.  Orographische  und  hydrographische  Carte 
von  Japan.  Berlin,  1880.* 

SERRURIER  (L.). — Japanische  Etiquette.  Leide,  1880.* 

JAPANESE  WORKS. 

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338  Bibliography  of  Japan. 

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Genghis  Khan  with  the  Japanese  Yoshitsune.     London, 


MOTONO.  —  Les  Relations  Exterieures  du  Japon  et  la 
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LEARNED  JAPANESE  SOCIETIES. 

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kunde  Ostasiens  Mittheilungen.  4to. 

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Journal.  8vo. 

TOKIO.  —  R6magi-Kai.  Socie'te'  de  Romanisation  de 
r  Alphabet  Japonais.  Romagi-Zashi.  4to.* 

TOKIO.  —  Imperial  University  of  Japan.  —  I.  College 
of  Literature.  Memoirs.  4to.  —  II.  College  of  Science. 
Memoirs.  4to. 

ToKio-FuTSUBAN-KwAi.  —  Societe  pour  la  Propagation 
de  la  Langue  Fran$aise.  Tokio,  members  Japanese  and 
foreign. 

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ameliorer  les  conditions  des  artistes  et  proteger  les 
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Bibliography  of  Japan.  339 

OFFICIAL  JAPANESE  DOCUMENTS. 

BRAMSEN  (W.). — Japanese  Chronological  Tables.  Tokio, 
1880. 

Japanese  education,  literature,  and  art.  Philadelphia, 
1876. 

Annual  Reports  of  the  Minister  of  Education  for  the 
Seventh  Year  of  Meidji* 

Notice  sur  la  Socie'te  de  Langue  Fran$aise  de  Tokio  et  son 
ecole.  Tokio,  1888. 

The  Tokio  Technical  School.     Tokio,  1888.* 

TOKIO  DAIGAKU. —  University  of  Tokio.  The  Calendar  of 
the  Departments  of  Laws^  Science,  and  Literature.  Tokio, 
1879-80-81.  Japanese,  Metric,  and  English  Weights  and 
Measures,  etc.,  by  Edward  Kinch.  Tokio,  1879.  8vo. 
A  Classified  and  Descriptive  Catalogue  of  a  Collection  of 
Agricultural  Products  Exhibited  in  the  Sydney  International 
Exhibition  by  the  Imperial  College  of  Agriculture.  Tokio, 
1879. 

Stray  Notes  on  Kioto  and  its  Environs.     Hiogo,  1878. 

Lejapon  a  V  Exposition  Universelle  de  1878,  publie  sous 
la  direction  de  la  commission  imperiale  Japonaise.  Paris, 
1878. 

An  Outline  of  Japanese  Education,  Literature,  and  Arts, 
by  the  MOMBUSHO  (Department  of  Education),  for  the 
Philadelphia  International  Exhibition  of  1876,  reprinted 
for  the  Paris  Exhibition,  1878.*  Catalogue  de  la  Section 
Japonaise  de  r Exposition  Universelle  de  Philadelphie, 
1876. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Acrobats,  267 

Agriculture  formerly  held  in  high 

honour,  184 
Akaza  (vegetable),  190 
Alloys,  89 
Alphabets,  (a)  Kirakana,  (b)  Kata- 

kana,  14,  15,  313 
America,  treaty  with,  19,  293 
Apples,  195 

Argilite  (a  variety  of  stone),  72 
Arms,  92 
Armourers,  88 
Art,   a  national  characteristic,    25 

seq. ;    hostility    of    the    Chinese 

towards,  4 
Artists,  genius  of,  21,  22  ;  method 

of    study   of,    21    seq.  ;    list    of 

famous,  37  seq. 
Avabi  (shell-fish),  194 
Awata    faience,    manufacture    of, 

124 

A  ivogiri  (a  wood  from  which  char- 
coal is  made),  78 
Ayu  (fish),  193 
Aztiki  (cereal),  188 


B 


Bamboo,  75 
Banana,  194 


Barley,  187 

Beer  not  drunk  in  Japan,  182 

Benibiakiitan  (a  wood  of  a  reddish 

colour),  77 
Betrothals,    ceremonies    connected 

with,  248 

Births,  ceremonies  attending,  244 
Bishamon,  God  of  War,  96 
Biiva  (a  close-grained  wood),  79 
Biiva  (fruit),  195 
Boku  Zeigo,  discoverer  of  material 

used  in  pottery,  in 
Books,  manufacture  of,  164,  165 
Bread  unknown  in  Japan,  181 
Bronze,  colouring  of,  91 
Buckwheat,  188 
Buddhism,  276-9 
Budget  for  1891-92,  302 


Cabinet-makers,  75 

Carpenters,  81  ;  tools  used  by,  82, 

83 

Carrots,  188 

Catherine,  Czarina,  293 
Catholicism,  causes  of  the   failure 

to  establish,  1 7 
Ceramics,    104 ;    celebrated  marks 

of,  128 
Cereals,  187-91 


343 


344 


Index. 


Chamber  of  Representatives,  299  ; 
election  of,  300 

Chanehin  (a  red-coloured  wood),  78 

Charlevoix,  Father,  16 

Chasers,  88 

Chesneau,  Ernest,  33 

Chestnut,  196 

China  and  Japan  compared  as  re- 
gards art,  3-7 

Chinese  dwellings,  6,  7 

Chosen  mugi  (plant),  190 

Christianity,  first  preached  in 
Japan  by  St.  Fran9ois-Xavier, 
279  ;  failure  of  the  first  mission, 
279  ;  again  tolerated,  280 

Christians,  massacre  of,  280 

Citron,  198 

Classification  of  society,  184,  185 

Cloisonne  enamels,  97 

Cod,  194 

Coffee  not  drunk  in  Japan,  182 

Coinage,  302 

Colouring  plants,  list  of,  143,  144 

Colours  used  in  printing  woodcuts, 

175 

Condiments,  list  of,  197,  198 

Cooking  utensils,  184 

Cooks,  extreme  cleanliness  of, 
184 

Coopers,  83 

Copper,  89  ;  not  discovered  be- 
fore about  the  eighth  century,  90 

Cotton,  138 

Cranes  trained  as  messengers,  n 

Cucumber,  191 

D 

Da'ikon  (a  sort  of  radish),  188 

Dances,  267 

Decorated  leathers,  176,  177 


Decoration  of  a  European  house, 

50  seq. 

Designing,  170-2 
Divorce  usually  settled  without  the 

interference  of  the  courts,  246 
Domestic  employments,  240-3 
Dwellings,  characteristics  of,  235- 

40  ;  liability  to  total  destruction 

of,  by  fire,  236 
Dye,  colours  of,  142  ;  products  used 

in  the  manufacture  of,  142 


Eau-de-vie  extracted  from  sweet 
potatoes,  1 88 

Edible  plants,  great  number  util- 
ised in  Japan, 191 

Education,  13,  16 

Engraving  (wood),  1 70—2 

European  house,  decoration  of,  50 
seq. 

Europeans,  first  recorded  appear- 
ance of,  in  1842,  280 

Exhibition  at  Philadelphia,  1876, 
Japanese  work  at,  21 

Exports,  302 


Faience,  composition  of,  104  ;  fac- 
tories of,  no  seq,  ;  manufacture 
of,  122 

Fans,  tradition  concerning  inven- 
tion of,  162  ;  used  to  denote  the 
different  classes  of  society,  163 

Fetes,  Marriage  of  the  Stars 
(legend),  12  ;  New  Year's  Day, 
252;  the  five  traditional,  of  Japan, 
258  ;  minor  occasions,  258 

Feudal  system,  abolition  of,  19 ; 
result  of  abolition  of,  20 


Index. 


345 


Fictile  products,  list  of  places  giv- 
ing names  to  certain,  128,  129 

Firearms  first  imported  by  Portu- 
guese, 280 

Fish,  list  of,  193,  194 

Flag  of  Japan,  305 

Fruits,  list  of,  194-6 

Fudenso,  189 

Fttgu  (fish),  194 

Fuki  (vegetable),  190 

Fukuoka,  138 

Fuma  (fish),  193 

Funeral  ceremonies,  250-2 

Fuzi  (mountain)  303 

G 

Gesu  Gombe,  inventor  of  new 
method  of  making  porcelain,  107 

Glaze,  preparation  of,  for  porcelain, 
116 

Gobo  (vegetable),  188 

Goldsmiths,  S8 

Goldsmith's  work,  97-103 

Goncourt,  M.  E.  de,  34 

Gonse,  M.  (a  French  artist),  39,  47 

Gorodayu  Shonsui,  the  secret  of 
porcelain  introduced  into  Japan 
by,  106 

Government,  system  of,  301 

Goyo,  1 08 

Granite,  72 

Grape,  196 

Gray  potteries,  composition  of,  105 

Greece  (ancient)  and  Japan,  strik- 
ing analogies  between,  18,  19 

H 

Haha  hi&e  (vegetable),  190 

Hair  brushes,  for  artistic  purposes, 

167,  168  ;  use  of,  in  writing,  168- 

70 


Hatnaguri  (shell-fish),  194 

Hand-screen,  invention  of,  163 

Haricot,  188 

Hayashi,  M.,  9 

Hazel-nut,  195 

Hempseed  used  in  cooking,  198 

Herring,  193 

Hiba  (a  dark-coloured  wood),  77 

Higashi  Jima,  inventor  of  new 
method  of  making  porcelains, 
107 

Hirado,  a  province  of  Japan,  noted 
for  its  beautiful  white  porcelain 
figures,  109 

Hokusa'i,  a  famous  Japanese  ar- 
tist of  the  seventeenth  century, 

39-43 

Honey,  199 

Hongandzi,  temple  of,  36 
House,    European,  decoration  of, 

50-57. 
House  of   Peers,    constitution  of, 

299 


Icho  ( Ginkgo  bilobaj,  78 

Imari  porcelain,  manufacture  of, 
114 

Imo  (vegetable),  188 

Imports,  302 

Inari  (a  god  who  aids  the  armourers), 
96 

Indian  ink,  process  used  in  manu- 
facture of,  165 

Indigo  (plant),  144  ;  method  of 
preparing,  for  artistic  uses,  145, 
146 

Ingras,  M.,  22 

Inspiration  of  Japanese  artists,  99 


346 


Index. 


Ippio  (a  theatrical  artist),  60 

Iron,  89 

Ishiraga,  earliest  Japanese  artist 
of  whom  any  known  record  ex- 
ists, 39 

Isu  (a  brown-red  wood),  80 

Isunenobu,  M.,  a  famous  Japanese 
artist,  47 

Ivory,  use  of,  in  sculpture,  34  seq. 

J 

Japan  and  ancient  Greece,  striking 
analogies  between,  18,  19 

Japan  and  China  compared  in 
regard  to  art,  3-7 

Jinen  jo  (a  tubercle),  188 

Joiners,  81,  83 

Junsa'i  (vegetable),  189 


K 


Kaki  (fruit),  196 

Kaki  (a  very  hard  wood),  79 

Kagosima,  bombardment  of,  294 

Kakiyemon,  107 

Kampfer,  Herr,  16 

Kashu  (a  tubercle),  188 

Katasse  (temple  of),  80 

Katsuwo  (fish),  193 

Kaya  (a  white  wood),  78 

Kay  a  (fruit),  195 

Kioto,  98 

Kiosai',  a  famous  modern  painter, 

43,44 
Kirin,  136 
Kishu,  Prince,  108 
Kito  (noted  for  its  crepons),  138 
Kiyomidzu,  108 
Koi  (fish),  193 
Kudzu  (plant),  190 


Kuri  (chestnut-tree),  78 
Kurivai  (vegetable),  189 
Kutani  porcelain,  manufacture  of, 

117 
Kuwa  (mulberry  tree),  78 


Lacquer,  147-56  ;  consisting  of, 
147  ;  manufacture  of,  148,  149  ; 
varieties  of,  148,  149  ;  method  of 
application  in  decorative  work, 

149-55 

Lead,  89 

Leathers  (decorated),  176,  177  ; 
colours  used  in  decorating,  177 

Legendary  personages,  list  of,  306 

Legends,  marriage  of  the  stars,  12  ; 
concerning  tea,  199 ;  concern- 
ing tosso,  210 

Lettuce,  189 

Lilies,  use  of,  as  food,  189 

Limestone,  72 

List  of  sovereigns.  305 

Loom  (silk),  setting  up  of,  140 

Loti,  Pierre,  48 

Lotos,  1 88 

Luzuki  (fish),  193 

M 

Maize,  188 

Manufacture,  processes  of,  69  seq. 

Marine   plants,    list   of,  used    for 

food,  191-3 

Marionettes,  invention  of,  260 

Marriage  of  the  Stars  (legend),  12 

Marriage,  usually  arranged  by  the 

parents,   245  ;  functions  of   the 

nakodo   (witness)  in    connection 

with,  245,  246  ;  marriage  portion 

and  presents,   247  ;  adoption  of 

the  bridegroom  by  the    bride's 


Index. 


347 


parents  in  the  absence  of  a  son, 
247  ;  nuptial  ceremonies,  248-50 

Massacre  of  Christians,  280 

Mayedo,  Prince,  no 

Measures,  table  of,  303 

Melon,  191 

Metal-forgers,  88 

Metals,  88-103 

Midori  no  Sato  ("  hill  of  fresh  ver- 
dure "),  name  given  to  Japanese 
house  and  ground  near  Ver- 
sailles, 215  ;  description  of ,  216- 
231 

Midwifery  practised  by  both  sexes, 
243 

Millet,  1 88 

Mino,  porcelain  of,  106 

Mioga  (vegetable),  190 

Mitsu  ba  (vegetable).,  189 

Monetary  system,  302 

Moulding  of  porcelain,  120 

Mount  Fuzi,  303  ;  legend  of,  304 

Mushrooms,  varieties  of,  197,  198 

N 

Nakodo  (a  sort  of  sponsor  to  the 
contracting  parties  in  marriage), 
245,  246  ;  honourable  position  of, 
246 

Naniako  (fish),  193 

Nara,  miracle  at,  259 

Nasu  (vegetable),  190 

Natural  products,  69  seq. 

Natusme  (fruit),  195 

New  Year's  Day,  ceremonies  at- 
tending the  celebration  of,  252-7 

Nuptial  ceremonies,  248-50 

O 

Oils,  198,  199 
Oliphant,  Lawrence,  15 


Onion,  190 

Opium  almost  unknown  in  Japan, 
214 

Orange,  196 

Osaka,  noted  for  its  artistic  ob- 
jects, 98 

Ovens,  construction  of,  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  ceramics,  123 

Owari,  porcelains  of,  105 


Paper,  early  use  of,  157  ;  varieties 
of,  157, 158  ;  method  of  manufac- 
turing, 158-60;  variety  of  uses 
for,  160-2 

Peach,  195 

Peers,  House  of,  299 

Perry,  Gommodore,  293 

Philadelphia,  Exhibition  of  1876, 
Japanese  work  at,  21 

Plants,  marine,  list  of,  used  for 
food,  191-3 

Plum,  195 

Poetry  connected  with  popular 
games,  n 

Poets,  annual  assembly  of,  n 

Polo,  Marco,  304 

Pomegranate,  196 

Pompadour,  Madame  de,  63 

Poppy-seeds  used  in  cooking,  198 

Population,  301 

Porcelain,  composition  of,  105  ; 
manufacture  of,  114 

Porcelains,  Japanese  and  Chinese, 
compared,  104 

Portuguese,  cotton-seed  imported 
anew  by,  in  the  year  1550,  138  ; 
probably  first  Europeans  to  visit 
Japan,  280  ;  narrative  of  their 
endeavours  in  1685  to  regain  the 


Index. 


favour    of    the   Japanese,    281- 

2Q3 
Potatoes  not  cultivated  in  Japan, 

181 
Potteries  (gray),  composition  of, 

105 

Pottery,  104 
Prestidigitators,  267 
Printing    woodcuts,     method    of, 

172-6  ;  colours  used  in,  174 
Products  used  in  the  manufacture 

of  dyes,  142 
Public  debt,  303 
Pumpkin,  191 


Quince,  195 


R 


Raku  faience,  manufacture  of, 
126 

Religion,  represented  by  Shintoism 
and  Buddhism,  268  ;  list  of  dei- 
ties, 268-78 

Representatives,  Chamber  of,  299 

Rice,  184-7  ;  importance  of,  186  ; 
method  of  growing,  186 

Rice  straw,  variety  of  uses  for,  186 

Rioki  kiku  (plant),  190 

Risampei,  106 

Russia,  attempt  of,  to  open  nego- 
tiations, 293 

Rye,  187 

S 

Sakai,  steam  factory  at,  for  the 
manufacture  of  cloth,  138 

Sake'  (liqueur],  manufacture  of, 
182,  208-10 

Sake  (fish),  193 


Sand-stones,  74 

Sans  ho  (plant),  198 

Sansyo  (a  very  soft  wood),  78 

Sawara  (a  very  dark  wood),  77 

Saza  (fish),  194 

Schinchiu  (yellow  copper),  90 

Schistose  chlorites,  72 

Schools,  13,  14 

Sculpture,  development  of,  by  re- 
ligious ideas,  33,  34 

Seido  (green  copper),  90 

Servants,  good  behaviour  guaran- 
teed by  employment  bureaus, 
240 ;  salaries  paid  to,  240 

Seto,  porcelains  of,  105 

Shido  (violet  copper),  90 

Shintoism,  268-76 

Shir  a  uwo  (fish),  193 

Shoes  (wooden),  makers  of,  82,  83 

Sidako  (fish),  193 

Silk,  reeling  and  scouring,  139 

Silkworm  raising,  130 

Simonoseki,  bombardment  of,  294 

Slate,  74 

Society,  classification  of,   184,  185 

Somet-suke  (porcelain),  106 

Sovereigns,  list  of,  305 

Spices,  list  of,  197,  198 

Starch  extracted  from  sweet  pota- 
to, 188 

Stone,  71 

Straw,  variety  of  uses  for,  186,  187 

Sweet  potatoes,  188 

System  of  government,  301 


J93 

Take  (bamboo),  78 
Take  (fish),  193 


Index. 


349 


Tea,  the  only  thing  drunk  with 
meals,  182  ;  legend  concerning, 
199  ;  first  introduced  into  Japan 
by  Esei,  in  the  year  1200,  200  ; 
ceremonial  use  of,  for  the 
strengthening  of  friendship, 
201-5  ;  utensils  used  in  connec- 
tion with  the  ceremony,  202, 
203  ;  method  of  sowing,  gather- 
ing, and  preparing,  205-8 

Temple  of  Katasse,  80 

Temple    of    Yemitsu    at    Nikko, 

155,  156 

Textile  fabrics,  130 
Theatre  placards,   description  of, 

59 

Theatres,  decoration  of,  260 
Theatrical    representations,     259- 

68 ;      preceded    by    ceremonial 

dance,  259 
Titsing,  Herr,  16 
Tobacco,  originally  imported  from 

Portugal,  211  ;    species  of,  212  ; 

cultivation  and  preparation   of, 

212,  213 
Tokuzayemon,  decorated  porcelain 

first  introduced  into  Japan  by, 

107 
Tools  used  in  working  in  wood,  81 

seq. 
Tosso    (beverage),    210;      legend 

connected  with,  210,  211 
Tsuku  imo  (a  tubercle),  188 
Turtle,  194 

U 

Udo  (black  copper),  90 
Udo  (vegetable),  189 
Uni  (fish),  193 


Vegetables,  187-191 
Viollet-le-Duc,  23 

W 

Walnut,  195 
Warabi  (vegetable),  190 
Weights,  303 
Wheat,  187 

Wine  not  used  in  Japan,  182 
Wood,  75  ;  list  of  species  for  the 

most  part  peculiar  to  Japan,  77- 

80 
Wood-carving,  81  ;    tools  used  in, 

81,  82 
Woodcuts,    method    of    printing, 

172-6 

Wood-engraving,  170-2 
Wooden  shoes,  84,  85 
Wrestlers,  265,  266 
Writing,    positions    assumed     in, 

168-70 


Xavier,  Francis,  17,  279,  281 


Yemitsu,  temple  of,  at  Nikko, 
155,  156 

Yoshidoya  revives  the  pottery  in- 
dustry in  the  year  1800,  no 

Z 

Zemmai  (vegetable),  190 

Zingoro    Riozen,    inventor    of    a 

beautiful  variety   of    porcelain, 

107 


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